Reunion
by ButWaitTheresMore
Summary: A year after the battle with Grima, Robin returns to Ylisse... Only to discover that his beloved fiance, Lucina, is on the other side of the world, looking for him. He and Morgan set off to find her. All characters copyright Nintendo/ Intelligent Systems.
1. Awakening

**So uh... Hey, this is something I just started writing out of boredom. My first fanfic ever. Hope you enjoy!**

"Chrom, we have to do something!"

"What do you propose we do?"

"I... I dunno..."

A man woke up in a field in Ylisse to see two figures standing over him.

"I see you're awake now."

"Hey there!"

"There're better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand. Welcome back. It's over now."

As he was standing up, the white haired tactician, Robin, noticed something. The mark on the back of his hand... It was gone! He stared blankly at the two people in front of him, a blue haired prince about his age, and a blonde princess a few years younger than the two of them. _Chrom and Lissa, _he thought, _it's them. REALLY them. I'm... I'm back! I'm alive! And I..._

Suddenly, Robin collapsed under his own weight.

"Woah!" shouted Chrom, catching his friend. "Let's uh... Sit down for a minute, shall we?"

"How are you feeling?" Lissa asked, handing Robin an elixir.

"Lissa, I can see three of you right now. There is an incredibly loud buzzing in my ears, and even if my legs had the strength to hold me up, I'm far too dizzy to stand." Then Robin smiled. "And I've never felt better! We did it! ...Grima... He's gone? _Really_ gone?"

Chrom nodded. "We can show you his remains, if you'd like. After you've gotten some rest. Once that elixir kicks in, we're taking you back to Ylisstol. You can rest there."

"Everyone is gonna be so thrilled to see you again! We all missed you so much!" added Lissa.

Robin laid down on the ground and closed his eyes, still grinning from ear to ear. "So, tell me, how long's it been? Lucina and Morgan... Are they at the castle? When can I see them?"

"It's uh... It's been a year, Robin." said Chrom.

The smile quickly faded from Robin's face. "A year... A _whole year..._ Oh." he replied, disappointed. "...Gods, Lucina and Morgan must be so mad at me."

"If you were feeling better, I'd kick your teeth in for breaking my daughter's heart like that." said Chrom, only half-jokingly. "As it is, though, I'm just glad you're alive."

"...I can't tell you how bad I feel, abandoning them like that." said Robin. "But... I couldn't have lived with myself, if I'd allowed Grima to return someday. And I knew our bonds were strong enough... I knew I'd be able to return. Chrom, you know I'd never have left her by choice."

"I know, I know." said Chrom. "She'll be thrilled to know you've come back. Lucina and Morgan are actually out looking for you right now! Along with most of the others. I'll have to send out a notice letting them know the search has ended. The Shepherds have gone to the ends of the earth trying to find you. ...We all missed you, Robin."

He paused and laid down, staring up at the sky. "...Lucina left shortly after you, well, 'died.' You know how she can get, thinking she didn't belong in Ylisstol. She said she was going to look for you, but of course, she neglected to tell me just _where._"

Robin's face dropped and a mixture of sadness and thought crossed it. "I... I see..." he said, disappointed.

"She left a letter with us, _just_ in case we found you." said Chrom. "I'll get it to you once we're back at the castle. I haven't read it yet."

Robin sat there thinking for a moment. Eventually, though, he perked his head up, still sad, but with a glimmer of hope. "So... Morgan's not with her, then?"

"No, Morgan-"

"Let me guess. She's searching for me around the capital of Regna Ferox."

"I- Yes... How did you-"

"Simple. She's your granddaughter, you love her as much as I do." began Robin "And she wanted to go looking for me. But you'd _never _trust her exploring alone somewhere. So you needed her to go somewhere safe, where someone could keep an eye on her. And the only person who has the ability to pull that off _and _who you'd trust with that task is..."

"Khan Flavia, exactly. Seems your mind is as sharp as ever." said Chrom. "If I had my way, they'd both still be in Ylisse, but even as the Exalt, I couldn't force them to stay. Anyway, you'll be relieved to know your daughter has a few Feroxi spies making sure she stays out of trouble. From a distance, of course."

Robin raised an eyebrow at the prince. "Shall I start calling you 'Chrom the Wary?' Frederick's _really _been rubbing off on you."

This earned a laugh from Lissa. "I told you, Chrom! Ever since Lucina was born, you've been getting _real_ overprotective."

"Well, gods forbid_ one_ of us keeps-" Chrom stopped himself when he realized he was about to repeat _exactly _what Frederick had said upon their first meeting, nearly four years ago. Gods, had it really been so long?

"Frederick, impersonating royalty is a crime, you know." teased Robin, a devilish smirk on his face. "Wherever did you find such convincing hair dye? And how did you train your voice like that? I must say, I'm impressed."

Chrom merely sighed and glared at Robin. "You know, I didn't _have _to give you my blessing to marry my daughter."

"That's awfully nice of you, Frederick, but I'm not sure Lucina would be okay with me marrying Severa."

Chrom stared at Robin with the most threatening look he could muster. Of course, it only took a few seconds before the young Exalt's death glare broke and he began laughing. "It's great to have you back, Robin." said Chrom after he'd finally stopped.

"And it's great to be back." said the tactician, grinning. "Here, help me up."

Lissa and Chrom quickly took to their feet and grabbed each of Robin's arms.

"I'm feeling a bit better. Let's head back to Ylisstol. I need some sleep, and I'd rather not take a nap on the ground. There are better places, you know?" Robin quipped.

* * *

Robin awoke in the castle of Ylisstol to find many of his symptoms cured. The dizziness, nausea, and tinnitus had all faded thanks to sleep and a healthy dose of good old fashioned healing magic.

On the nightstand next to his bed was a small envelope, marked with his name in Lucina's handwriting. ...Or, more likely, Chrom's best imitation of Lucina's handwriting. There was no way Chrom _hadn't_ already opened the letter, if only out of concern for Lucina.

Robin unsealed it and laid back down on the bed to begin reading.

_Robin,_

_If you're reading this, it means my father has found you, and that you're alright. As I'm writing this, it's been about a month since the battle with Grima._

_I'm sorry, but I can't stay here in Ylisstol waiting for you. I've decided to go on a journey to look for you._

_I need to do this on my own. Everyone else has duties they need to attend to, but I've felt nothing but lost since that battle. This castle isn't the place or time for me. There's nothing I want more than to build a new life in this world with you. To start a family and grow old together. But I can't do that here. This castle and this royal life are for the younger version of me._

_Morgan is a strong girl. She takes after her father. Every time I see her, I'm reminded of you. ...I can't ask her to come with me, Robin. She fits in so well here at the castle. I can't take that life from her. I'm travelling all around the world, and it'll be dangerous. I need her to be safe, more than anything._

_...I don't know how to be a mother, Robin. I see my own mother with the younger version of myself, and with Morgan, and she's so much better at this than I could ever hope to be. I think Morgan will be better off here with her grandparents than travelling the world with me. When you get back, take care of her for me. She idolizes you, you know._

_I know it couldn't have been an easy decision for you, to kill Grima. I understand why you needed to do it, though. If I know you at all, you're beating yourself up over it._

_Don't. You did the right thing. You gave the future that I fought for to millions of others. It was a noble choice._

_Promise me, though, you won't get yourself killed again. No matter how desperate a situation may look, I swear we'll find a way through it together._

_I miss you. More than you could ever know._

_I love you, Robin, and I always will. We'll meet again soon. I promise._

_-Lucina_

Robin merely held the letter close to his chest and laid there for a while. He still had no desire to move. He missed her so much, and that letter was the one thing he had of her.

It was close to an hour before he finally found the will to stand up and walk around the castle.

He still had some trouble walking on his own, so the royal infirmary provided him with a pair of crutches.

The tactician slowly made his way through the castle to join his best friend (and future father-in-law) for breakfast.

"Gods, it's so... _Empty_ here. I remember how this hall was with the rest of the Shepherds..."

Chrom was sorting through papers and mostly ignoring the breakfast next to him.

"Cordelia and Frederick are still in town. She's the new captain of the Pegasus Knights, so she stays near Ylisstol, and of course, Frederick is still my lieutenant. ...It's no wonder those two married, with how dedicated they are... The royal family is also here. Sumia, Lissa, Lon'qu, Emmeryn, and myself... We all still live here in Ylisstol. The rest of the Shepherds either returned to whatever duties they had or formed search parties to find their beloved tactician."

"Once again, deeply, deeply sorry I caused you all so much trouble."

Chrom dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. "I'll send out letters today. The world shall hear of your triumphant return soon enough!"

"I'd much like to greet Morgan in person, actually, since Regna Ferox is so close."

"Suit yourself. I'll also be sending a team of pegasus knights to look for Lucina. There are rumors placing her in Valm, but we're not sure of how true they are."

"Then I'll go with them."

The prince looked up at his friend with one of the iciest glares Robin had ever seen.

"...Robin, you can't be serious. Sending you to Regna Ferox is one thing, but I'm not going to let you run around the entire world in your condition. If you get killed under my watch, Lucina will kill _me._"

"Condition!? I'm _fine." _he lied. "Chrom, I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself. And I'm going to find my fiance. I... She's looking all over the world for me. If I can't do the same for her, what sort of person am I?"

"The kind who doesn't risk his life to _punish _himself. The proper tactical decision would be to wait here for my knights to find her, and you know it. Your hero complex is going to get you killed. Again. Lucina wouldn't want that, would she?"

_Yep, he definitely read that letter._

"...Fine. I won't go looking for Lucina." the tactician said. "But I'm still heading to Regna Ferox to meet with my daughter."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." said Chrom, smiling. "By the way, roughly half of this paperwork is for you." he said, pushing a rather large stack of papers towards Robin. "Turns out, Validar's claim to the Plegian throne was legitimate, making you the new king of Plegia!"

"...Chrom that's not funny."

Robin flipped through some of the papers in front of him.

"...Oh gods you're serious. Can't I abdicate!?"

"Figured you'd say that. Sign the one paper on the bottom. Flavia and I will continue to handle the reconstruction of Plegia, then."

"Much appreciated. I've no desire to be reminded of my ancestry." said Robin, quickly scratching down his name on a page labelled _An Act Disestablishing the Plegian Monarchy._

Chrom glared at the large portrait behind him - the previous Exalt, his father - and sighed. He'd have had it destroyed years ago, if the royal court would _let _him. "I know the feeling, Robin."

"I... I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Chrom finally stopped going through his paperwork long enough to realize that the castle servants had brought him breakfast.

"...Gods, Robin, you must be starving. I'll have the servants bring you something."

The two chatted for a few hours, Chrom catching Robin up on the goings on of the various Shepherds. Cynthia and Gerome were off visiting his parents, Virion and Cherche, in Rosanne. They got engaged _just _after the war. Owain mumbled something about a quest to "stay his sword hand" after the war and ventured off, dragging his girlfriend Severa with him, promising his mother he'd keep an eye out for Robin. Owain wrote to Lissa and Lon'qu regularly to describe tales of his heroics, while Severa _also _wrote them regularly to clarify just how much of Owain's stories were outright fabrications.

Outside of the royal family, Chrom wasn't exactly sure of where all the remaining Shepherds were. He still kept in contact with Virion, Say'ri, and the Khans for diplomatic purposes. They had gone back to ruling their respective countries. Lissa was always in touch with Maribelle, who had become a magistrate back in Themis. Her husband, Vaike, still served in the Ylissean army, training new recruits. Stahl and Sully married and became Ylissean generals, leading the "official" search parties for Robin throughout Ylisse. Tiki, Nah, and Nowi regularly flew into Ylisstol to visit, with Nowi dragging Ricken along. Being dragons, they had an easier time traversing the world than the other Shepherds. Kellam was still under Ylissean command... At least, Chrom _thought _he was. He couldn't remember. Beyond that, the remainder of the Shepherds tended their resignations shortly after the war and went off to their own lives.

Despite the fact that it meant he'd likely never see many of them again, Chrom was proud of the fact that his friends no longer had to worry about war. They could pursue their own dreams. Hunting them down to tell them about Robin's return shouldn't be _too _difficult, anyways.

Mostly, though, Robin kept asking about Lucina and Morgan. It was clear just how much he missed them, and after much begging, Chrom finally agreed to send Robin, along with a small convoy, to Regna Ferox first thing in the morning. Chrom had _wanted _Robin to wait and rest for a few days, but relented once he saw just how much it meant to Robin.

Robin spent the rest of the day meeting with his old friends who were still in town. They were absolutely thrilled to see him, though Robin's mind was on other things. In the morning, he'd set off to see Morgan. For the first time in a year.

It was good to be back.


	2. Meanwhile, Across the World

In the center of a mining village in northern Valm stood an old, run down inn.

A young woman entered the building and walked up to the innkeeper. She had black hair reaching to the middle of her back and wore a thick robe. She was clearly tired, but she had a glint of determination in her eye.

She earned suspicious looks from the regulars in the building. The people around here were decidedly not used to travelers; in fact the inn functioned more as a bar and hangout spot for the locals than an actual _inn._ A room full of mistrusting eyes followed the girl.

A good part of that likely had to do with her Ylissean looks. The people in the more rural areas of Valm remained _somewhat_ bitter towards the country that had defeated theirs not too long ago, and Walhart's most ardent followers even insisted that _he _would've killed Grima in half the time it took the Shepherds._  
_

Whatever the reason, the woman was clearly unwelcome.

"Can I help you?" snarled the innkeeper.

"I'm looking for someone. White haired mage, about my height, wears a Plegian robe... Anyone like that around here?"

"Hmmmm... Yeah, now that you mention it, someone matching that description stopped by a few weeks ago."

"...Did he have an obsession with death? Smile a lot?"

"Yeah. If you wanna know any more it'll cost ya."

"Not the one I'm looking for." she said with a sigh. "I'm looking for a tactician. His name is Robin."

The man chuckled to himself in disbelief.

"You don't mean Ylisse's 'master tactician'? The guy who killed Grima? Nobody's seen him in a year. What could you possibly want with him?"

"That's the one I mean, and that's none of your business."

The innkeeper shrugged. "Well, like I said, no one's seen him since the battle against Grima. I hear he slipped out after the battle. Left his wife pregnant. Didn't wanna take care of his kid."

The woman visibly cringed, the words stinging her.

"Those are nothing more than viscous rumors. He was an honorable man." she replied, with barely veiled anger in her voice.

"I dunno, I hear' the same thin'! I heard he try 'n kill his king too!" shouted a drunk from somewhere else in the inn.

The woman's fists clenched, before she decided it probably wasn't worth starting a fight over. Unfortunately, despite his heroics, accounts of Robin'scharacter varied. Some saw him as a selfish jerk who skipped on his responsibilities the second he could, while others saw him as a kind friend to all he met.

It didn't help that the _actual _story of the Shepherds was more than a little unbelievable to those who hadn't witnessed it. Robin's tale was fertile ground for baseless rumors and bastardizations of the truth.

Naturally, these attempts to slander Robin's memory touched a nerve on all those who _truly _knew him.

The woman tried to regain her composure. _It's not worth drawing attention... Blowing your cover... _she thought to herself. _The people around here would love the chance to hold a Shepherd hostage. Still..._

"She was his _fiance_, she wasn't pregnant, and he didn't disappear by choice. He _disappeared_ because he killed Grima to save the lives of ungrateful _dastards_ like yourselves." she said in a disturbingly calm manner. "I will not have you talking about my- A Ylissean national hero like some common _scoundrel._"

The man shrugged. "Honorable or not, he's gone. And if he didn't run away after that battle, then he's dead."

The woman had heard those words far too many times. Too many people dismissed her search as pointless. Robin was either dead or trying desperately not to be found, in the eyes of the public.

She wanted to scream. Robin, of all people... Robin would find a way back from the dead. She knew it. He promised. After all, Morgan's existence proved that Robin wasn't gone forever... Right?

Robin would be back. And she would find him.

But her gut feelings and his promises meant nothing to anyone but her. So she bit her tongue. No matter how angry it made her... It simply wasn't worth it.

"Thank you for your time." she said quickly before leaving the inn.

"I'll keep an eye out for him!" shouted the innkeeper sarcastically. He went on to say something about "Risen," but by the time he said it, the woman was out of earshot.

She took a look around the tiny mountain village and, once she was sure no one was around, took off the wig she'd been wearing to reveal her long, blue locks of hair. She sighed.

_Oh, Robin. When will I see you again?_

* * *

**So kindof a short chapter this week. I wanted to show what Lucina was up to, but I didn't want to switch back and forth between two viewpoints in the same chapter. Most of the story will focus on Robin and Morgan, but I'll occasionally do these Lucina chapters. Hope this one worked out alright, I put it through a lot of revisions, but I think it ended up nice!**

**I also really wanna say thanks to all the people who've followed, favorited and reviewed my story. It really means a lot to me, so... Thank you! :)**


	3. The Two Tacticians

A young woman entered a mostly empty restaurant. She walked up to the bar and brushed her short, messy, blue hair out of her eyes to get a look at the menu.

"Heya! Can I get a... A bear meat sandwich?"

The bartender just stared at her incredulously.

"...That robe. Someone _just _came in wearing the exact same thing. Funny thing is, he was actually_ looking_ for someone wearing the same robe as him..."

The girl's eyes lit up at the mention and a wide grin crossed her face. _Could it be...?_

"OH MY GODS WHERE IS HE!?"

"Woah woah woah! Calm down! He's over there in the... Um... Ma'am?"

By the time he finished his sentence, the girl had already rushed off.

* * *

Near the back of the restaurant sat Robin and Lissa, enjoying a quick lunch before they continued their search for Morgan. She couldn't be far, Flavia's spies said she was certainly staying in this city...

"Lissa, come on! It's just bear meat! Try it sometime, I promise it's **_-GAHH!"_**

Suddenly, a blur shot out from the side and knocked Robin onto the floor. Lissa instinctively grabbed her tome, preparing a fire spell... Until she realized just what the blur _was._

Although Chrom had tasked Lissa with _protecting _Robin, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of one of the most powerful mages in the world tackled to the ground in an instant by his own daughter.

"OH FATHER I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

He could barely breathe, but Robin responded by simply bringing his daughter closer. He slowly pulled himself off of the floor, with Morgan still clinging to his side, and she eventually loosened her grip enough to allow air to flow freely into her father's lungs.

"Morgan, I missed you too. So, so, much. And I'm so sorry I had to leave, but-"

Morgan shook her head and stared at the ground. "No... Don't be sorry. You told me... You told me a tactician should never put their own life above the lives of their troops. You saved so many people. You made the right decision... No matter how hard it was for mother and I... You... Oh, Father!"

She fell into her father's arms again, sobbing uncontrollably.

"She really is like her mother, eh?" said Lissa. "You remember when Lucina finally told Chrom who she was?"

Robin just nodded at Lissa, clearly trying to give his full attention to the still crying Morgan. Eventually, though, the younger tactician calmed down.

"How... How long ago did you get back?" asked Morgan, wiping her eyes.

"About a week." replied Robin. "Your grandfather found me in a field just outside of Ylisstol, and the next day, I came here to see you. Chrom sent your aunt Lissa with me to make sure I didn't do something stupid and get myself killed before I got here."

"Hi Morgan!" the Ylissean princess chimed in, smiling cheerfully.

"It's weird... I honestly don't remember any time passing between when I killed Grima and when I woke up." Robin admitted. "You'll have to catch me up on everything that's happened since I've been gone!"

Morgan smiled. "Oh! Father, let me see your hand! Your right hand! Is it gone!?"

Robin removed his glove to show his daughter that Grima's mark had finally vanished. "Before we fought Grima, I did some research on it. I _believe_ it was the side effect of some long dead branch of magic Grima had been using to try and influence the members of his bloodline. What about yours?"

Morgan removed her own gloves -a fingerless, regal style she'd stolen from her mother- to show, as usual, the mark of Naga on the back of her left hand. Her right hand, however, had lost the mark of Grima it had displayed for most of her life.

"It faded shortly after that last battle. I'd figured it was something like that, though none of the books in the royal library had anything on it..."

"It's mostly conjecture, on my part. I haven't killed enough gods yet to know the _exact_ origins and purposes of glowing magical birthmarks." deadpanned Robin. "Sit down, I wanna hear everything that's happened!"

"Well, um... After you 'died' me and mom were really broken up over it. She left to try and find you. I wanted to go with her, but she wouldn't let me."

As she said it, Morgan's normal cheery disposition began cracking to show just a hint of sadness and anger.

"She said it was dangerous... She didn't want me to get hurt... I left on my own, to search for you somewhere else..."

The younger girl quickly cast her eyes downward. Suddenly, she felt a hand clasp her shoulder, and looked up to see Robin's sympathetic face.

"...Morgan, she was only doing what she thought was right. I'm sure it was a difficult decision for her." said Robin. "And I know my words can't make up for it, but I'm certain she misses you just as much as you miss her."

Morgan frowned and, for just a second, tears formed in her eyes, before she forced herself to blink them back.

"I... I _needed_ her..."

"Morgan..." said Robin, beginning to cry himself, his heart breaking over his own part in this.

She looked at her father and gave a halfhearted smile. "...I'm sorry, dad... This should be a happy occasion! For both of us! I mean, now that you're back, we can go look for mom!" said the young tactician, her normal optimism returning. "I know you both did the right thing by you, and that's all I can ask for. ...I'll be honest, it hurt for me. Like, a lot. A lot a lot. But, I've had a whole year to think it over. I can't stay mad at you two. Not when this whole situation is Grima's fault."

The older man gave a slight grin. "So, it's a plan, then? We leave to go find your mother?"

Morgan smiled back at him, earnestly this time. "Yeah. Just me and you travelling the world! It'll be a whole adventure!"

Robin chuckled in response. "Yeah, I'd like that."

He then turned his attention to the blonde across from him.

"Alright, look, Lissa. I know Chrom wants us to-"

"You were never planning on coming back to the castle to wait for her, were you?" interrupted Lissa, cocking an eyebrow at the mage.

"I... Not for a second." he declared. "I know Chrom won't approve, but... Gods, she's out there all alone looking for me... Morgan and I need to find her. Personally."

Lissa giggled. "It's kinda romantic, isn't it?"

"...Well, at least we've got your approval. ...And I had a whole speech prepared..."

"I kinda figured you'd be leaving. You've _always _gotta be the hero, eh?"

"Haven't changed a bit." he agreed.

"Well, at least, allow me to give you these before you go. Gifts from the royal family!" she said triumphantly, reaching into a bag she'd brought with her and handing him a heavy tome. An old, rare, piece by the looks of it. "It's from Chrom and Sumia. For you and Morgan. You'll need something to read on your journey!"

"'New and Amazing Works of Magic by...Lute the Great?' Lissa, this is very sweet of you, but I can't accept-"

"Oh, just shut up and take the gifts, will ya?" responded Lissa, a clear hint of annoyance in her voice. "Besides, you two are the only ones in the Ylissean royal family who _might _be able to pull off a spell or two from it."

"I... If you _insist_..."

Robin began flipping through the tome with unbridled fascination. Morgan, too was entranced by it.

"Yes, well..." continued Lissa, quickly losing her audience's attention. "There's some _very _advanced stuff in there. Stuff only a few people have been able to replicate. Sumia figured that with you being one of the best out there, maybe you could use it!"

Robin's mind wandered for a moment. While he _was _indeed a very powerful mage, he'd wondered how much of that simply came from Grima and how much from his own abilities. With Grima gone, he wondered if it would even be possible to reenact some of his more famous feats. Still, magic never just _disappears_, even when its source is killed... It's merely dispersed to new hosts...

"And Chrom told me to give you this letter if you decided to leave."

Robin took the small envelope and opened it, fearing what it might say. "...'Dear Robin. You're an idiot. With love, Chrom.' Well, that was nice of him."

"You know him. Blunt as they come."

Robin's only response was an exasperated sigh.

"And finally, saving the best for last... I got you this!" the princess said cheerily, handing him a small box. "Be careful! It's fragile! Also don't open it until you get on the road!"

"...Right..." said Robin, his voice dripping with suspicion about just what Lissa had put in the box.

"Anyway, I um... I think that's it! Be careful out there, you two!"

"Of course we will. Thank you so much, Lissa!"

The trio stood up and said their goodbyes, and then Morgan and Robin were off.

They bought some supplies in town. Being the royal tactician, Robin could more than afford it, and they soon had a small wagon with two horses to take them on the road.

"...You know, Morgan, we still _could _head back to Ylisstol and let Chrom's knights find Lucina. I don't wanna drag you across the world if you don't wanna come."

"Come on, now! Have you ever known _me _to back down from an adventure?"

"Heh. Fair point. Alright, then. First stop, Castle Ferox!" announced Robin with pride. The two headed out on the road. A year apart had done nothing to weaken the bonds that held their family together.

* * *

**Chapter 3. Morgan! Wooo!**

**Some of you might be wondering why Morgan didn't bother disguising herself, while Lucina did in the previous chapter, when, theoretically, with them both being Shepherds, they'd be just as famous as the other. Well, my thinking was that it's in Lucina's personality to be _far _more worried, and honestly a bit paranoid, while Morgan is pretty carefree. Besides that, Lucina's alone in a more dangerous area of Valm, while Morgan's in a safer part of the world.**

**To rhoades: Well, she left to find Robin! In the game, after he disappeared in the battle with Grima, Naga had only said that he _might _pop up again, and a few of the Shepherds talk about wanting to find him. I basically took that idea and ran with it, and lo and behold, this fic!**

**...Unless you're implying that our dear princess had some ulterior motive for leaving, in which case, you'll have to wait and see!**

**I'm also thinking this will be like 20-ish chapters long. I've got rough drafts up to Chapter 8, but I'm kinda playing it by ear. *Shrugs***

**To Owen : Heh, I was wondering if anyone would think that. That's the reason I had her wear a black wig, anyways... :P**


	4. Promises

**Chapter 4**

**So uh... Just so you're aware, this chapter gets... ****_Mildly_**** angsty.**

**That being said, I still think it's a good chapter. I just hope you all aren't turned off by dramatic stuff.**

"...What's in this box? The one Aunt Lissa gave you?" Morgan asked her father. The two were riding in a wagon filled to the brim with not only supplies for the road, but swords, tomes, and strategy games.

"I actually don't know." responded Robin, looking up from his copy of _Mad Tales of a Bloodthirsty Falcon Knight: Volume 17_. "If you're going to open it, be careful. Lissa is a legendary prankster."

The young tactician tore into the box with blinding speed.

"...Jewelry? ...What's Aunt Lissa doing giving you _jewelry?"_

"...Huh?" Robin leaned over to get a look at the box. "Let me see that, that doesn't seem right."

"Here!"

As Robin leaned over the box, Morgan flipped a switch on the bottom of it, and a small toy frog jumped out and hit his face. Morgan couldn't stop laughing.

Even Robin smiled at it. "Alright, alright, you and Lissa got me."

There was something strangely nostalgic about it, being subjected to Lissa's childish pranks. And she even got Morgan in on it, too! He couldn't help feeling a little bit of pride, as odd as it was.

"BAH HAH HAH HAH! You shoulda seen your face! It was great!"

"Deception..." Robin said, examining the wooden, spring loaded figure. "...Is a hallmark of any good tactician. As weird as this may sound, I'm glad to see you getting the hang of it."

Morgan groaned in frustration. "Aw, it's no fun if you're _happy _about it!"

"Come on, then." Robin said, pulling down one of the strategy games they had lying around. "You may be getting better at misdirection outside of battle, but let's see you put it into practice!"

Morgan's face lit up, and she happily agreed.

* * *

"And I'll move this pegasus knight... Right across this line. Capturing your commander."

"Crud..." Morgan stared at the pieces on the board. One more move and she'd have won! But her father was simply better. Even after a year of studying since their last battle, Morgan couldn't match Robin.

Still, she was damn close.

What was more impressive, though, was the fact that losses on both sides were incredibly minimal. It was what Robin was known for as a tactician, more than anything, and it was a habit Morgan had picked up as well. The Shepherds had famously made it through three wars without a single death until Robin's.

...On_ their_ side, at least.

"You _almost _had me. I've gotta admit, I was quite worried." Robin said. "But even after a year, I've still got it."

"...About that... Hey dad." Morgan's tone shifted to a deadly serious one almost instantly.

"Yeah?"

"Erm... What was it like? Being... You know... _Gone?"_ Normally inquisitive to a fault, this time she was clearly not asking to satisfy her own curiosity. She was asking solely out of concern for her father.

Robin shifted in his seat in the wagon uncomfortably. "I... I told you Morgan. I don't remember."

"Come on, dad, don't lie to me! I can see right through you. I've known you longer than you've known you!"

Robin thought about it for a moment. Considering the extent of both his and Morgan's amnesia... That was true, actually. He sighed.

"...I'm sorry, Morgan. I'd rather not talk about it."

"Look, I won't make you talk if you don't want to. But... I'm here for you, okay? You can tell me. And if it's bothering you, you should tell _someone. _You keep entirely too much to yourself."

"...No. Let's clean this up."

The two of them put the game away, without so much as a word out of them. Robin was lost deep in thought, and Morgan had decided not to press the issue.

Robin thought about it for a while. She was right, he probably needed to tell _someone _what had happened, and he did trust Morgan more than anyone...

He sighed again.

About an hour later, the man finally spoke up, stirring an almost sleeping Morgan.

"...It was painful." Robin began. "It was just... Nothing but pain. There was an alternate world that was entirely black, and I couldn't move. I couldn't tell you how long I was there... It might have been an hour, it might have been a decade. ...It was Grima's last sick joke."

"...Dad..."

"The worst part was, he made me watch visions of him killing everyone... Over, and over again. It wasn't real, but that didn't make it any less horrifying. And then I'd find you and Lucina... And you'd die." said Robin, shaking and barely choking back tears.

"I... I'm sorry... I'm here now, and this is real. I promise. And I'm not gonna die. We're going to be alright, okay?"

Robin smiled at her. "Yeah, I know. Every time I saw you two... Erm... Well... You know... Anyway, the next 'cycle' was shorter and more... Bizarre. It was Grima losing his power as I came back to this world... And as _he_ died. I could tell when I was dreaming; Grima is not the type of being to _hide _the fact that he's torturing you. And now, I've been here for a week, and everything seems normal, so... Well... This must be the real world. And I won't let anything hurt you."

Robin suddenly felt his daughter's grip around his torso. It was a strange feeling to him, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He rarely allowed himself to be open with anyone, even his own flesh and blood.

Whereas Chrom was honest and blunt with everyone he met, Robin merely put on a brave face, despite his own insecurities. It was something he needed to do, as one of the two leaders of the Shepherds. After all, no one would trust the strategies of a man wracked with self doubt.

And Robin _was. _It was nearly impossible to be sure of yourself when you'd only _known _yourself for a few years. When Robin learned his alternate self had been responsible for the deaths of millions... Well, it didn't exactly _help _his self esteem issues.

So Robin put on a confident front for those around him. Only Morgan could _really _see through it, though Lucina was getting better at it.

He finally allowed himself to cry lightly onto her shoulder.

"...Morgan... Stay with me... Please." he whimpered.

Here was Robin, the god slayer, the genius tactician, Ylisse's master mage... Breaking down and crying into Morgan's arms. He was scared. Terrified, really. He couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them again.

"Dad, you've gotta promise me you'll keep yourself safe too, alright?" Morgan said, choking back tears of her own. "I lost you once. I'm not gonna lose you again."

Robin thought of all the pain Grima put him through when he saw Morgan and Lucina "die." He had no desire put them through the same thing... Not twice.

"You won't."

"Promise."

"Huh?"

"Say 'I promise.'"

"...Yeah. I promise."

There was a short silence where the two merely held on to each other, Morgan comforting the man she had long believed to be invincible.

"...Would you do it again? If we were on top of that dragon today... Would you do it?"

"...Yeah." replied Robin, finally regaining his composure and breaking out of the hug. "To make the world safe for you and your mother... Yes, I'd kill him again. And I could care less what he does to me."

Morgan frowned at him.

"But don't worry, Morgan. He's gone. I'll never _need _to sacrifice myself again. See?" he said, holding up his now unblemished right hand.

"...Just... Don't do anything _stupid,_ father."

He laughed, finally putting back on the mask he normally wore.

"Have you _ever _known _me_ to do anything stupid?"

"The second you had control of a navy, you lit half of it on fire."

"That's an exaggeration. It was more like... _Two fifths_ of the navy. Anyway, it worked, didn't it?" Robin said, smirking.

"The bards sing of your glorious triumph to this day!" replied Morgan sarcastically. It only took her a second to figure out just what was wrong with that sentence. "Well... Um... They actually_ do_... Fine, point taken."

She stretched and yawned. "Now um... If you don't mind, I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when we get there, 'kay?"

"Of course."

"And dad."

"Yeah?"

"You don't need to pretend to be alright around me. When something's bothering you, you tell me. We're a team, okay?"

"...Thank you..."

"G'night."

The second she had fallen asleep, Robin pulled Lucina's letter out of his coat. He read through it over and over again, but suddenly felt his eyes stopping on one sentence.

_Every time I see her, I'm reminded of you._

...Reminded of a dead man. It all made sense now.

Robin thought back to all those conversations with her, about how hurt Lucina was by the people she couldn't save. And now he was one of them.

He pulled out the magic tome Lissa had given him, flipping through it to a chapter on "Mental Manipulation." _Part IX: Revisiting Old Memories._

Actually one of the easier spells in the book, and still, far beyond the capacity of your ordinary battle mage. This 'Lute' bragged about herself almost incessantly in the notes, but damn if she hadn't earned it.

...Perhaps she was related to Virion.

Robin grabbed an old notebook and jotted down the runes exactly as they appeared on the page. He didn't want to cast a spell _directly_ from a tome this old, after all. He thought of the time he wanted -no, needed- to visit, said the words on the page, and was suddenly transported away, though only in his mind.

* * *

"My life is yours... It always has been."

"D-don't look at me like that! I love you! ...Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

The sun was setting on the hill, as Lucina pointed Falchion at Robin.

"I would give my life for Chrom. ...And for you."

The present day Robin stood off to the side, watching them. Somehow, though, he wasn't there. He could feel all the sensations of the time, but couldn't interact at all.

"Just... Promise me you'll find someone else who cares for you. Promise you won't be alone... I want you to be happy, Lucina. That's all I've ever wanted."

"N-no... Ah gods, no..."

"...I'm ready now. Do what you must."

"I... I must... Damn me! I can't do it! I love you too much! I'm sorry, Robin. I'm s-so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Easy now. Easy. It's all right..."

The present day Robin walked up to the couple as they embraced, feeling almost bad about intruding in on a personal moment like this, then chiding himself for that. This was _his_ own personal moment, after all.

He stared at the other version of himself, whom he had termed "Memory Robin." Lucina couldn't see it, since Memory Robin's face was over her shoulder, but Present Robin noticed a strange look of both mild disappointment and mild relief on his other self.

_Gods, I was a wreck then..._

After a few minutes, Memory Robin spoke up.

"Lucina... I know you don't want to hear this... But if you're right, and I'm... Under Validar's control_..._ I could become possessed at any time..."

"...I know that, Robin. Please... Let's not talk about it right now."

"...We don't have that luxury. We need to discuss this. If he possesses me..."

"Don't say another word, Robin! I-I won't do it."

"But-"

"We'll find a way through this. Without your death."

_Don't say that, Lucina._

"Lucina, there might not BE another way through this!"

_Lucina... Please..._

"No. I... I swear to you, I won't let you die! Right here... I promise you. We'll stop Grima, and we'll save you. Somehow."

_Dear Naga, Robin, DON'T-_

"...Okay." Memory Robin gave her a clearly forced half smile and wrapped his arms around her. "...Right. We'll... We'll work a miracle. I won't die. _And_ we'll kill Grima. Promise."

_Dammit, Robin! Why did you promise her that? This is WAR! People DIE!_

_YOU die, gods dammit! You WILL die, and there is no other way! And it will tear your family apart!_

Robin shouted at his past self, but no noise came from his mouth. Memory Robin and Lucina stood there holding each other, as Present Robin continued to shout futilely at them.

He knew it was useless, though. He sat down in front of them and, after a few minutes, pulled a page from his robe. Robin already knew how the rest of the night went, and he'd heard what he needed to.

He knew how the rest of the _war_ went. He remembered it becoming infinitely more clear that, to stop Grima permanently, he _would _have to die. He remembered, all too well, Lucina trying desperately to keep her promise to him. To keep him alive, somehow.

Robin remembered that final moment, on the dragon's back, when he decided that, for the good of the world, no, he couldn't keep his promise, and Lucina couldn't keep hers.

He read the paper in his hand, saying the incantation needed to return him to the real world.

* * *

Robin was back in the wagon, with her letter still in front of him. The notebook he'd used to cast the spell quickly crumbled into dust in his hands.

_Every time I see her, I'm reminded of you._

Reminded of the man she couldn't save. That _no one_ could save. It didn't matter that Robin had chosen to sacrifice himself. Not to her, anyway. She'd taken it upon herself to find some other way out of this and failed.

She'd promised... And Lucina was not one to take a promise lightly.

He realized, then, that _he _was the reason Lucina had left Morgan. She had a habit of keeping her distance from those she loved. Robin knew this. But during their time together in the army, she'd gradually opened up to people.

In her time, loss was constant. She became distant to avoid feeling hurt when she couldn't save someone. But Robin? His tactics never failed. The Shepherds never saw one of their own die. Sure, the Ylissean and Feroxi armies themselves took losses, but the Shepherds, their little group, never lost anyone. Even when they'd come across a village, Robin took it upon himself to save every villager. Any innocent who saw that Plegian cloak, gentle smile, and white hair _knew_ they were safe.

He inspired all those he met. And just when Lucina had begun to think that, like him, she _could _save everyone, after she'd grown close to the army, after she'd fallen in love, after she had a family of her own... She lost the man dearest to her. Knowing her, she probably blamed herself for it.

Especially considering the way that final battle had gone.

And so, she once again became distant. Blocked herself off from everyone, including her own daughter... The girl who could almost be a carbon copy of Robin.

No matter what she told the world, what excuses she told herself, Robin knew why Lucina had left Morgan with Chrom. Why she wouldn't allow Morgan to accompany her.

_..._

_She left Morgan, and it's all my fault._

_...Gods damn me..._

* * *

**If Robin and Lucina have one thing in common, it's their incredible guilt complexes.**

**WELL, I'VE GOT A LOT TO SAY TODAY!**

**So I started this chapter with frog pranks and ended it with the phrase "gods damn me."**

**Yep.**

**Here's the thing. When I started drafting this fic, I envisioned it as a bit of a light hearted family adventure fic. Basically medieval Indiana Jones with Robin as Indy and Morgan as a less annoying Short Round.**

**Sure, the premise was dark, and it always was, but I'd intended the whole thing to be overall less dramatic than Chapter 4 here.**

**But sometime in the drafting phase, I realized that I am dealing with three characters with a LOT of emotional trauma.**

**Lucina had to deal with not only her shitty future, but also going from a bit of a complete loner, to a fiance, to a mother, to a (well sort of, since they weren't married) widow, all within the span of only a few months.**

**Morgan had to deal with the death of one parent and the total "Flint in MOTHER 3" style abandonment of another.**

**Robin had to, as discussed in this chapter, literally go through his own personal hell, and now has to watch helplessly at the emotional damage his decisions brought to his family.**

**And the thing is in Awakening, Lucina and Robin are absolutely terrible at dealing with their emotions. That Chapter 21 scene, certain versions of it, anyway, has Robin ****_canonically _****suicidal. Lucina's solo ending has her leaving the family she loves simply because she feels she doesn't belong there. They do ****_not_**** deal with trauma well. When I mentioned "ulterior motives" in last week's A/N, I was mostly referring to this stuff.**

**It would be not only awkward in terms of storytelling but totally disloyal to the characters to ignore their trauma. Hence this story taking a more dramatic turn. Which is something I'm not ****_opposed _****to, but it's something I'm a bit cautious about.**

**BUT DON'T THINK IT WILL BE COMPLETELY DEVOID OF HAPPY STUFF! As far as I have drafted right now (up to chapter 9) Chapter 4 is definitely the darkest in tone it gets.**

**Next week's chapter involves a pretty fun fight scene, meeting up with an old Shepherd or two (you should totally be able to guess who based on where our heroes are headed) and I'll even throw in some free puns or jokes or something!**

**I've even got a draft for a ****_really_**** fluffy and funny flashback chapter!**

**I think the overall tone will be somewhat like Awakening itself was. You had some dark moments, like the aforementioned Chapter 21 and the Future Past, but then you had silly stuff like "lolz Gaius likes candy and nobody can see Kellam."**

**I'd in fact at one point intended to split this chapter in two, and have Chapter 4 be about Robin's whole "being dead" dilemma that the chapter starts on, and say, Chapter 6 or so be Robin exploring Lucina's motivations for leaving. I decided to combine the two for two reasons. One, I realized that if I don't give Lucina a good motivation for leaving, she comes off as kind of awful, and I didn't want her to seem like that for too long. Two, I was attempting to keep the two "darker" ideas together, so the second idea wouldn't seem out of place between more lighthearted chapters. Again, Chapter like 8-ish (that's literally what it's labelled as in my documents) is super fun.**

**Also I know what you cynics are thinking, that the bit about Robin's personal hell being to watch Morgan and Lucina die is foreshadowing. Well, you can rest easy! I'm not ****_that _****evil! ;)**

**I'm also aware that many of you may not have played Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones. Lute is a mage character from that game who is indeed much like Virion. Constant braggart, but with HUGE skills to back it up.**

**OKAY SO YEAH NEXT WEEK'S GONNA BE FUN TIMES.**

**ALSO MASSIVE PROPS TO DERPSQUID FOR HELPING ME OUT ON THIS CHAPTER. CHECK OUT HIS STORIES THEY'RE HELLA TIGHT.**

**AND MASSIVE PROPS TO EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN REVIEWING THIS. IT IS RIDICULOUSLY HELPFUL AND I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE IT.**


	5. In Castle Ferox

"Ugh... Probably should have expected this..."

Robin grunted as he pulled himself off the ground and quickly parried another blow.

All of his friends had been happy to see him when he returned, however, only Flavia had challenged him to a duel.

A duel he was _definitely _losing. Robin was a _good _swordsman, but by no means an expert. Flavia, on the other hand, had studied different styles of swordplay for _years, _and, as ruling Khan, was easily one of the toughest warriors in Regna Ferox.

Robin primarily used a variation of a common Plegian style. It was versatile, focused mostly on defense. The goal was to tire the opponent out, which worked wonders against standard soldiers, but in a one on one duel against a talented opponent, it wouldn't exactly hold up.

And Flavia knew this. She'd switched to a Chon'sin style, striking her wooden sword at Robin with blazing speed.

Each strike was like lightning. Robin's face was covered in beads of sweat as Flavia's attacks pushed him back further and further. He found himself only able to defend, not seeing anywhere he could gain ground. He dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way of Flavia's attacks, nearly tripping her in the process.

The moment there was an opening, Robin shifted his feet. _Alright, let's see how she fares against the Ylissean royal style! _Chrom, Lucina, and Morgan had all been trying to teach him to fight like the Ylissean exalts of legend during the war, although, again, he was no expert. It was a style known only to a few people, kept to the royal family and their closest advisers.

_Hah... Perfect! She can't possibly have experience fighting like this! _He charged forward. It was focused on acrobatics and aggressive attacks. Robin ran as fast as he could, jumped, and...

Was promptly dealt a heavy blow to the stomach. Flavia had seen it coming from a mile away. She crouched and simply struck her blade upwards as Robin was leaping.

Robin rolled to the ground, completely and utterly defeated. Flavia pointed her wooden sword at his throat and kicked his sword away.

"...Why did I agree to this?" the defeated tactician moaned.

"What's that put as at now? Eight to one?"

"Eight to _two." _Robin corrected her. "Have you forgotten about our fight in Port Ferox?"

"You cheated that time!" said Flavia, extending a hand to help Robin up.

"Your exact words were 'no tomes,' not 'no magic.' I won fair and square."

"...You know... Now that I think about it... Wasn't that just after Lucina joined the army?"

"Come on, now!" Robin cried in mock indignation. "If you are implying I would rig a fight simply to impress-"

"Dad! Are you okay?" shouted Morgan, rushing in from the sidelines.

"Don't worry, Morgan. I'm fine. Just a little bruised." Robin smiled at the girl, still clearly in a bit of pain.

"Hang on a sec! Let me try something!" Morgan pulled a staff from her robe. "I've been trying to learn healing magic. Mind if I give it a go?"

"No, no, that's-"

Whatever protests Robin had were cut off the moment he saw Morgan's brown eyes filled with excitement.

"...Alright, go for it!"

Robin was suddenly covered in a faint green glow, and then... Nothing happened.

Morgan frowned and shook her staff. "Stupid thing..."

"Morgan, I don't think healing magic would work on something this minor. It's designed for _battlefield injuries."_

She sighed. "Still..."

"Every failure is a chance to learn something new."

The young girl gave her father a half smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

One of the consequences of being the daughter of two of the biggest overachievers in the army was that Morgan often took even the simplest failures harshly.

"So, Robin... Can I ask you something?" interjected Flavia.

"Go for it."

"What's your plan? How're you going to find Lucina?"

Robin smiled cheekily back at her, stretching and cracking his knuckles behind his back. "Yeah, you've got a point. After all, it wouldn't make much sense to just go charging into Valm hoping to find her, eh? It's a big continent."

"...You never told me anything about a plan, father." Morgan chimed in.

"...Haven't I? ...No, I suppose I haven't. Regardless, I have a plan. I _always _have a plan. When we reach Valm, the first thing we're gonna do is go see an old friend. ...A _very _old friend."

"...Lady Tiki?"

"Precisely."

"...Well, I suppose she and Lucina were rather close, but I don't think-" Flavia added.

"No no no no, it's not about that..." Morgan butted in. "Manakete talons."

_"Bingo."_

Flavia just looked back at the pair, dumbfounded. "...You mean to tell me... You two are going to travel halfway across the world for toenail clippings?"

"You aren't getting it. _Magical _toenail clippings." the older tactician responded.

"Indeed. My father's plan is toe-tally great." added Morgan.

"...I'm just gonna... Go get a healer..."

Robin smirked. "Listen. Manakete talons are a vital ingredient in dark magic divinations. The sort of spells that will tell us _exactly_ where Lucina is. We just need to visit Tiki, get us some talons, then a quick ritual, and we can find Lucina!"

Flavia sighed at him and rolled her eyes. "And the reason you didn't _open_ with an explanation that made sense is...?"

"The fun of it, mostly." he admitted.

"...I really don't get you sometimes."

Robin shrugged. "Well, that's the plan. We'll be heading to Port Ferox to charter a ship in a bit."

"You know Regna Ferox would be happy to provide you with a ship."

"That's kind of you, Flavia, but we can't ask that. We'll be fine just hitching a ride on a merchant ship."

"If you insist. But the offer still stands."

"And I thank you for it, but don't worry. We'll be fine!"

"So what are you going to do after your journey, anyway?"

"Well..." responded Robin. "That'll really depend on what Lucina wants to do. Ideally, I'd like to continue my work as royal tactician of Ylisse. And I think Lucina would _like_ to stay near Ylisstol, so I should still be able to work for the crown. However, she's sort of... Been nervous about it. She's thinking that she might cause problems, being another bearer of the brand so near the castle. Morgan can just wear gloves, but... I'll think of something for Lucina... In the event that I can't, I suppose we'd have to leave Ylisse."

"Mom could always wear an eye patch." Morgan pitched.

"...Not a bad suggestion, but I doubt she'd be into it."

_Although given her sense of fashion..._

"Ah, well. Our _first_ priority is finding her."

"Well," continued Flavia. "more to the point... Regna Ferox has been looking for a new tactician. The position is available, if you'd like it."

"I'm honored, of course! But-"

"I know, I know. You have more pressing matters to attend to. Think it over?"

"Gladly."

He'd almost stopped to recommend she take Morgan as her new tactician, however, he knew just how stressful being in charge of a nation's military was. Morgan was only a teenager, and Robin had no intention of pushing that much responsibility onto Morgan before she was ready. She would _probably_ accept the position, were it offered to her. That girl was far too eager to bite off more than she could chew.

There was also a voice nagging at the back of Robin's mind. Regna Ferox handed power to the strongest, and, should someone other than Flavia or Basilio come to power, someone eager to do war with Ylisse... He didn't want to consider it. The _best _case scenario would involve one of them turning traitor.

Some day, Morgan would lead a nation's armies. Robin had no doubt of that. As her mentor, he was proud to know she was nearly on his level, and likely _could _lead a country's armies. He fully expected Morgan's talents to equal his own with only a few more months of training. As a father, however, he was only hoping the day she directed troops into battle was _far_ off in the distant future.

Flavia smiled. "Good. Now come on, I promised the oaf I'd meet him for drinks, and you two are coming with me!"

_...The worries of a father never end, do they..._

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay! I was busy with Christmas stuff, and all that. So um... Not much to say this week... I think I said all I needed to last week, anyway. :P I finally have a semi-official outline for how the rest of this story will go. It's looking to be about 17 chapters, give or take, and then I'd like to do a sequel of some sort! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!**

**Thanks for reading, reviews always appreciated! You guys are the best!**


	6. Paralogue 1: For Flowers

**A/N: So. Here's something a little different. This is something I worked on as a one shot at first, but then I decided I'd like to reference it in later chapters of Reunion. You can skip this and Reunion will still make sense, it's only a few small references. But it was a nice little flashback chapter, and I liked it. So I eventually decided to include this as a "paralogue" chapter, not ****_directly _****connected to the events of the main story, but still "there." Consider this a "happy new year" present from me! I'll still be updating with a "normal" chapter this weekend, as usual. I may do more "Paralogues" occasionally, unless any of you are not fans of this idea, in which case, tell me!**

* * *

**Paralogue 1 - For Flowers**

Morgan looked through the stack of books she and Robin had brought with them.

"You know... I think I've read all of these."

_"...All_ of them?" asked her father.

She nodded.

"Well, we'll get some more once we get to Port Ferox."

"Actually... I think I'd like to hear a story from you."

"...Okay then... I suppose I can try... There once was-"

"Nonononono, not like that. I wanna hear about... How you first told mom you love her."

Robin laughed and blushed a bit. "Well... You see..."

* * *

**One year, six months ago**

"Hey, uh... Frederick said you wanted to see me?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! Right. Inigo. Come on in."

The young swordsman took a seat across from Robin's desk as the mage hastily put away the maps for tomorrow's march. Robin then sat down and started tapping his fingers on the table.

"...Robin, I don't really have a lot of time. I have a date tonight."

"Oh, fine. I'll make this quick. Inigo, did you know me in your future?"

"Vaguely. You died about the same time as Chrom. Lucina would know more, since she was the oldest. Have you tried asking _her_ about this?"

"I... _Can't. _Look, I just have a simple question, and then you can be on your way. ...Was I married in your future?"

Inigo smirked. "Ah, so _that's _what this is about! Our tactician can navigate his way through a battlefield all day, but when faced with the battlefield of love-"

"A simple yes or no will suffice." Robin cut him off.

"No. Not as far as I'm aware."

Robin felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him. _Good. So this can go somewhere. Being with her won't be... Alternate universe cheating?_

"It's a bit odd, though. You were kindof a legendary figure in our future. You must have had to fight off the ladies with a stick! ...Or guys, if that's what you were into. I don't judge."

"I can't speak for the alternate version of myself, but my guess is that I was 'married to the job,' as it were, and that's why I didn't take a wife."

Inigo shrugged. "Makes sense to me. So tell me, who's the lucky woman _this _time around?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you wouldn't be asking me about this if you weren't having problems in your romantic life!"

"...Alright, Inigo. I'll bite. How would _you_ go about telling a girl you love her? A close friend... I love her, and I think she loves me back."

"Well, what does she like?"

"We, um... We often watch the stars together. Can that get me anywhere?"

"Tell her on a starry night, then. We've got that figured out."

"Yeah... Yeah, that'll work."

"...Listen, Robin. Maybe you should talk to Chrom about this instead? He's your best friend and all... "

Robin rolled his eyes. "Wish I could, Inigo. Just trust me on this one..."

"Hm... So, you can't talk to Lucina... And you can't talk to Chrom..." A devilish grin crossed Inigo's face. "...You're in love with Sumia, aren't you?"

"What!? Inigo, no-"

"Oh, I too have felt the pain of falling for a married woman! Why, just the other day, there was this lovely violinist..."

"Inigo, that's-"

"Ah, her melodies spoke to my very soul! But alas, it was not to be. Robin, if you made a move on Sumia, you'd not only be destroying a family. You'd be forcing her to choose between the two of you. Even if she _did _love you back, you'd be the one to have torn her old life from her! You'd cause her a lot of pain. Trust me when I say, Robin, and I say this as a friend... Let her go."

Inigo finished his speech to see Robin with his head in his hands, groaning in frustration.

"...I see. You're overcome with emotion. You know this is wrong, and yet, you still love her. Ah, a true romantic tragedy. ...Shall we go out for drinks? There are plenty of other fish in the sea, Robin, and we're going fishing! I'll pay."

The tactician's eyes slowly crept out from behind his hands.

"...Are you quite done, Inigo?"

"I suppose."

"Good. Because I'm _not _in love with Sumia."

Inigo smiled. "Great. That's exactly what I want to hear. It might be hard-"

"INIGO!"

"...Cynthia, then?"

"It's Lucina, dammit!"

Robin covered his mouth, shocked that he'd admitted it to Inigo, of all people. Inigo just smirked back at him, stood up, and walked out of the tent.

"Well? Are you coming?" he called back.

"...Where?"

"We're going to the market. You can't confess your love to a pretty girl without some _flowers!"_

* * *

"Inigo, dad? Really!? You asked _Inigo, _of all people, for advice on a woman?"

"I was young and reckless. I made a lot of poor decisions in my youth."

"...Dad, it wasn't even two years ago."

"Well, I don't remember anything prior to about _four_ years ago. For me, two years is half a lifetime. Now, what your mother and grandmother told me about _their _side of things..."

* * *

"Mother? Can I talk to you?"

"Of course!"

Sumia put down her spear and left the training dummy.

"What's troubling you, Lucina?"

"...Might we talk somewhere... Private?"

"Sure."

The women made their way back to Sumia's tent and sat down on the edge of Sumia's bed. Lucina began fidgeting around nervously.

"Well... You see..."

Her face turned a deep shade of red.

"Mother... I think I'm in love."

Sumia smiled at her. She knew she'd have to have this conversation someday. It made her happy to know that Lucina finally had something on her mind other than the war. She deserved to be happy.

"Lucina, that's no problem at all! Love is simple!"

"Well, the problem is... I'd like not to be."

"...Now that is_ not_ so simple. Might I ask why?"

She sighed. "It's just... The problem isn't _being _in love. It's who I'm in love _with."_

"...Are you worried this person doesn't love you back?"

"...I _think _he might."

"Then it's easy! Just tell him how you feel! You'll never know otherwise!"

"Were it only that simple, mother..."

"You know, Lucina..." said Sumia, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "It wasn't that long ago I was a young pegasus knight in love with her prince. I used to worry about our relationship as well! It seemed almost impossible, I thought he'd have to marry some noblewoman, or princess, or something! But then, you're living proof of how that turned out, aren't you?"

"Heh, I suppose so." Lucina said, smiling. "Well... He's not from my time. I'm just worried... I mean, we wouldn't be able to stay together. After the war, I've got to try and return to my own time. And... And if I can't... I couldn't stay with him..."

"...Was he married? In your time?"

"No, no he wasn't. I... Robin, mother. It's him. It's just... We spend a lot of time together, and we watch the stars... I tell him about the future, and he's always there to comfort me. He's charming, and funny, and smart... But I think what I_ really_ love about him is his kindness. His generosity. He's always there to help someone in need. And when I'm with him... I just feel so _happy!_ Like I've not felt in years!"

Sumia was overwhelmed with joy. There was nothing she wanted more than for her daughter to be happy, and she knew she could trust Robin. It was... Perhaps a little weird, but Lucina deserved to be happy. As did Robin. Robin was a dear friend, and she'd always wanted him to be happy as well. As odd as it was to think about her daughter and one of her closest friends in love, well, _none _of this situation was normal in the first place!

"Lucina, love can overcome _all_ obstacles."

"But-"

"If you won't listen to me about this... Follow me!" said Sumia in a cheery voice.

Sumia led her daughter to a small bushel of wildflowers just outside of camp. She knelt down next to them and stared for what was probably longer than necessary, before focusing her eyes on one of them.

"...This one." she suddenly announced. "This one will do."

She plucked the flower and stood up, handing it to Lucina.

"Okay, Lucina. Whenever I'm uncertain about something, this is what I do. Flower fortunes!"

_Of course. _thought Lucina. _This was mother's solution to everything..._

"You tell him..." Sumia said, plucking one of the petals of the flower. "You don't." She plucked another petal. "It's easy, right?"

"Mother, don't you think this is a bit... Childish? This is a big decision, and I can't-"

"You think too much!" Sumia interrupted. "You tell him..." she plucked another petal. "You don't!" plucking a fourth one. "Now, finish it!"

Lucina sighed. "...If you insist... I tell him, I don't. I tell him, I don't... Tell, don't. Tell, don't. Tell, don't, tell, don't, tell, don't, tell, don't... I tell him!" she shouted with glee, plucking the last petal.

"I... I don't know why, but this helped! Thank you so much, mother!"

She wrapped her arms around the pegasus knight, and then left.

"You'd better be running off to _tell him!"_ called Sumia after her. The young knight sat down next to the flowers, and began plucking a few more of them, to learn how Lucina and Robin's future would be. A few minutes later, Lucina came back up to her mother.

"...You counted those petals, didn't you?"

"...Does it matter?"

Lucina thought for a moment, finally understanding the purpose of the flower fortunes. "No, no I suppose it doesn't. Thank you!"

She hugged her mother again and ran off, happier than Sumia had ever seen her.

* * *

Most of the camp had long fallen asleep by this point. Lucina sat around the dying campfire, gently placing another log on it. She'd been looking for Robin all day, but he hadn't been in. Still, he was as much of a night owl as she was, and so, she was hoping he'd join her to watch the night sky, as he often did.

Meanwhile, behind a tent stood a swordsman and a mage, both with hair as white as snow.

"Alright," said Inigo. "Now's your chance!"

Robin nodded. "Thanks for your help, Inigo."

"Now go!"

Robin left carrying a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Hello, Lucina."

"Robin? Fancy meeting you here."

Inigo watched as his two friends confessed their love for each other. He smiled. "All in a day's work, Inigo. Ya done-GYAAAAH!"

The man suddenly felt himself in a chokehold with a knife against his neck.

"...Let me guess... Noire? Oh gods... This is about missing our date today, isn't it? I am... I could not be sorrier, but-"

"...Noire?" said a distinctly non-Noire voice. "Inigo, is that you?"

"...Sumia?"

The knife dropped from Inigo's throat.

"Do you mind telling me what you were doing sneaking around camp this late at night? You scared me half to death!"

"...Erm... Well, you see... Hey, wait! I could ask the same of you!"

"...Oh, fine. Lucina asked me for advice about a boy earlier. I wanted to see how it would go! That's all!"

"...Please tell me the boy she was asking about was Robin, because otherwise I've just sent my friend off to get rejected."

Sumia leaned out from behind the tent to see Robin and Lucina kissing each other passionately. Were it not so late at night, Inigo would've seen Sumia's face flush with embarrassment.

"They're fine. All worked out. Let'sgivethemsomeprivacy." Ylisse's queen blurted out rapidly.

Inigo peered out from behind the tent. "More than fine, from the looks-OW!"

"...Dear gods, Inigo. Do you _never_ shut up?"

Sumia dragged the young swordsman away by his ear.

"...Thank you for helping get those two together, by the way."

"Heh. What can I say? A friend came to me for help, so I gave him a hand. Nothing to it."

Sumia smiled. "You're a sweet guy, Inigo. No matter what they say. Henry and Olivia must be proud. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Sumia!"

Inigo smiled to himself and began walking back to his tent.

Suddenly, he turned around and began racing after Sumia.

"Hey, wait! What do you mean 'no matter what they say?' Sumia!"

* * *

"Shortly after that, Lucina and I were engaged, then, a week later, we met you!" said Robin, finishing his story.

"What did grandpa have to say about it?"

"Heh, now THAT'S an interesting story! ...Unfortunately, it'll have to wait for another day. I can see Port Ferox from here!"

* * *

**A/N: Again, if you're not into the "paralogue" idea, or if you'd like to see more of it, tell me! As usual, reviews are sincerely appreciated! I'll be answering last week's reviews when I post the _real_ chapter this weekend.**


	7. The Merchant

Port Ferox. It had been quite a while since Robin had been here. In fact...

It had been just after the war with Walhart had ended. He and the Shepherds traveled through the area to get back to Ylisse, where they would start the search for the Fire Emblem's remaining gemstones.

He'd always been particularly fond of the city, perhaps because it had been the first real port city he'd seen since he lost his memories. It was fascinating, though. Thousands of merchants converging from all over the world in one city to buy and sell goods... One could hear at least a dozen different languages just walking to the end of a street!

For someone as analytic as Robin, it was incredible to observe all these people and learn of stories and traditions from even the farthest countries.

Today, he and Morgan were trying to find passage to Valm on a merchant ship.

"Look, all I'm saying is, we've got the fastest ship _in _this port! You wanna get to Valm, stick with us. I swear, five thousand gold is the cheapest price you'll get in this port for a ship this nice!"

Morgan rolled her eyes at the man sitting across from them. _This same speech again... Ugh. Every damn merchant we talk to has the "fastest ship in the port!"_

Robin was clearly thinking the same thing, but was trying his best to be polite.

"Thank you for the offer sir, but we'll have to pass." said Robin.

"Fine." replied the merchant coldly. "But don't come crying to me when you can't find a better ship."

The man walked away, leaving Robin and Morgan once again alone, and once again, without a ship.

"You know, dad." Morgan piped in. "We might as well just hire one of these merchants and be done with it. It's all pretty much the same offer."

"No, I know. But... I dunno, I'm not sure I trust any of these guys... We need someone we can trust... I'm pretty sure at least half of the people we talked to would rob us blind the second we stepped foot on their ship."

Suddenly Morgan's face lit up. "You know... We DO know a merchant we could ask for help..."

"...Anna?"

Morgan nodded.

"Huh... I don't know where we'd find-"

Suddenly, a new voice interrupted.

"Sounds like you two are in a bit of a jam!"

Robin bolted around to see a certain smiling redhead.

"...How long have you been there?"

"I heard a rumor that someone rich and famous was in town and had to see it for myself." she said, taking a seat in front of the duo. "You know there's a guy down the street posing as you and selling autographs, right?"

"...As long as it takes the attention away from _us..."_

"...If you two are trying to avoid being noticed... _Miiiiight_ wanna try some new fashion choices."

"Excuse me!?" protested Morgan. "What is wrong with our clothing?"

Robin sighed to himself. They'd elected not to wear their famous tactician robes into town, primarily to avoid being recognized as Shepherds. The mistake Robin made was allowing _Morgan_ to pick out new clothes for the duo to wear.

Morgan, ever her mother's daughter, had chosen a light blue summer dress for herself. Which would have actually been very nice, had the dress not been covered in rainbow colored octopi from head to toe. She completed this look with a dark purple feather boa around her neck.

Robin's immediate thought on seeing this dress was that, at the very least, she couldn't possibly pick something _worse_ for him to wear.

Morgan, however, was evidently determined to prove him wrong.

She'd managed to convince her father to wear a neon pink vest with an orange undershirt. Robin couldn't decide which part he hated more; the cravat covered in pictures of Chrom's visage, or the feathered shoulder pieces, which, in Morgan's words, "totally complete your look, father! Get it? _Feathers!_ 'Cause your name's _Robin!_ Oooh! And if you get the purple ones, we'll match!"

He didn't have the heart to tell her just how awful her fashion sense was, and on the bright side, _nobody_ looked at the duo and thought that they were war heroes. Besides, Morgan was happy with the choices, and Robin adored spoiling her.

Anna was taken aback by the fact that Morgan seemed legitimately offended. "Oh, w-well... Your clothes are lovely, of course! But um... Don't you... Don't you think people might have to stop and stare... At your... Beauty?"

"Huh... I suppose I never thought about it like that... What do you think, father? I could pick out something else-"

"NO!" Robin shouted in shock. "I mean... No, I really... _Really _love this outfit. Even if it is distracting, I couldn't bear to part with it!"

"...My sister never mentioned your... _Interesting _fashion tastes..." Anna added.

"...So you're not the same Anna we know?" Robin questioned.

"No, that's my sister, Anna! But she told me all about you! That's how I managed to pick out the _real_ you. I've seen pictures. Snapshot tome, as it were. Anyway, I'm Anna! Nice to finally meet you!"

"Well, I'm Robin, as you know, and this is my daughter Morgan. Nice to meet you as well!" he said, shaking Anna's hand. "How's Anna, anyway? The Anna that I fought alongside, I mean."

"Anna's doing great! She got married after the war. Had a daughter. Know what she named her?"

"...Let me guess... Anna?"

"Miranda!"

An exasperated look crossed Robin's face. He wasn't sure whether this Anna was telling the truth or simply trying to mess with him. Either way, Anna family traditions were something he'd never quite gotten the hang of. It _probably _wasn't worth pursuing.

In fact, _remarkably_ few people not named "Anna" seemed to understand that family at all.

"...Right..."

"Anyway... Let's cut down to the brass tax of it! I can take you to Valm for... Four thousand gold?"

"That's perfect!"

"Per head. So eight thousand total."

Robin raised an eyebrow at her. "We could save three thousand if we took that last deal."

Anna smirked back at him. "But we both know you won't! Meet me by the harbor first thing tomorrow morning!"

"...Ugh... Fine." said Robin, admitting defeat. Business negotiations were never his strong suit.

* * *

"Good morning, Anna!" said Morgan joyfully. Just as the morning sun was beginning to rise in the sky, she and Robin went to the harbor, meeting Anna there as promised.

"Morning, Morgan! Robin! You all packed for the journey?"

Robin simply gestured to several large carts filled with supplies.

"Excellent! Now, before we head off, I have some things to deliver to the stores here. Follow me, and bring your stuff."

Anna led the duo to her ship. A medium sized merchant vessel, built far more for speed than anything else.

"I call her the _Lucky Golden! _Isn't she _grand!?"_

"It's not bad! How long will it take us to get to Valm?"

"Assuming good conditions, about two weeks! Go ahead and start bringing your stuff on board, I'll just be a minute..."

She walked inside and came out pushing a large cart full of boxes. As she passed by the two tacticians, one of the boxes fell. Robin couldn't help but notice that it seemed a bit... Deliberate.

"Oh no!" the merchant cried. "Morgan, could you lend a hand and pick that box up for me?"

Morgan nodded eagerly and grabbed the box, peeking inside as she was doing so.

"OOOOOHH! Father, look at this! A whole box full of books! Ones I've never seen before!"

"Ah, yes." replied Anna. "I had a delivery to an antique bookshop! These boxes..." she said, gesturing to a large stack comprising about half of her total sales, "are filled with ancient, rare books!"

Robin narrowed his eyes at the redhead.

"And what, pray tell, are in those boxes?" he said, gesturing towards the other half.

"Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that. I think this one was going to a clothing store..."

Anna opened one of the boxes. "Yep!" she said, pulling out a dress somehow more tacky than the one Morgan had worn yesterday. "This one is nice. Tasteful, stylish, and elegant!"

"Wooooooow!" said Morgan, eyes wide with excitement, staring at the dress's impossibly terrible clash of purple, gold, and lime green.

_...Where in Naga's name is the market for clothes like these? _thought Robin.

"You know..." said Anna, a devilish smirk crossing her face. "I _could _sell you some of this stuff. I don't normally do this, but consider it my 'you guys saved the world' special!"

Morgan had already walked over to another stack of boxes. "Where are these going?" she questioned.

"General Edmund's Emporium for Tacticians." responded Anna, not missing a beat. Robin groaned in frustration, knowing just what Morgan was about to ask - and that, try as he might, Robin couldn't resist buying a good amount of Anna's wares as well.

By the time the trio set off, Robin and Morgan were the proud owners of about a third of Anna's shipment.

* * *

**A/N: Morgan basically has the fashion sense of mid seventies Elton John. But worse. Poor Robin. :P I didn't really know where I was going with this chapter until I realized that Robin and Morgan would need some sort of disguises and then it turned into this. **

**I love this chapter.**

**So it seems like the "Paralogue" idea went over quite well! I'll have a few more of those on occasion.**

**Review Responses: To pokemon rhoades - Yeah, it does sound pretty badass, doesn't it? Heh, I was quite proud of that line.**

**To TheLegendaryBladeFalchion - That is actually a very interesting idea and it's something I was thinking about... Perhaps I'll make a second fic of that someday? I wonder how the Plegian populace would react to having the guy who killed their god as king... Probably not very well...**

**To Sparrow McGraw - If I was making this into a book or movie and needed a blurb for the back cover, I would ****_so _****use that quote! Thank you so much!**

**To everyone else - Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so glad so many people seem to be enjoying this! You guys are great, see ya next week!**


	8. The Arena

"Who's next!?" called Lucina, sheathing her knife and pulling out a plain steel sword. She missed Falchion dearly, but hiding her identity took precedence.

The crowd in the arena cheered as their champion cut down her sixth victim. Lucina was an actress, playing the people to her favor, making every battle into a deliberately close encounter with death. Then, to play up her bloodthirsty persona and air of mystery, she insisted on killing every opponent with a whispered sentence and a slash to the throat. The madwoman demanded that the bodies be kept in the arena, as opposed to the arena's tradition of carting out every kill.

Perhaps they would double her prize money for such an over the top display.

Round seven walked into the arena, a young girl with long brown hair and scars covering her face. Unlike her previous opponents, this one had clearly not chosen to fight. She'd likely barely held a weapon before. She hesitantly held a spear aloft, her legs quaking underneath her.

Her clothes were red. _...All_ red. ..._To hide the blood, _thought Lucina. _Cowards, all of them!_

...At the very least, this _was _the last round. Lucina shook her head in disgust. Then, turned back to the crowd, gave them her best "raving lunatic" smile, and waved.

The girl charged at Lucina, spear pointed forward and held stiff at her side. Lucina, tired of acting, decided it would be best to finish this one quickly. A quick dash to her right, and the girl drove right past her. She slashed her sword, hitting the girl with the dull side of it. Her opponent clumsily dropped her weapon from the impact, and turned around to look the swordswoman in the eye. A quick kick to the gut, and the girl was down for the count. The crowd cheered as Lucina got on her knees next to the girl and unsheathed a knife.

"...P-Please, miss. I... I don't wanna die." begged the girl.

"Play dead." she whispered in the young fighter's ear. Then, Lucina swiped her knife across the girl's neck. Blood spattered everywhere, and the crowd was sent into a joyous uproar. Seven rounds, and the people's champion hadn't gotten so much as a scratch.

Little did they know, her knife was no more than a prop, crafted by the actress herself. It was only barely sharp enough to cut bread, but hidden in the hilt was a small compartment. It was filled with a mixture designed to look like blood, but thinner. A quick flip of a switch and, as far as the crowd was aware, that was one more kill. As a matter of fact, though, _none _of her opponents were dead. A few were unconscious, but most had been simply following Lucina's orders to play along.

It was a very weird story. This woman came into town with no reputation to speak of, refused to give a name, killed six trained warriors (and one new recruit), and put on a fantastic show. The owner of the arena walked in and handed Lucina a pouch heavy with gold, nearly twenty thousand by Lucina's guess. More than enough to sustain her for a few more months. The owner motioned towards Lucina and declared her champion, to the crowd's thunderous applause.

A gravedigger walked in pushing a cart to begin loading the day's victims. He grabbed one of the bodies and hauled it up.

"Hah, and he's still warm!" the gravedigger laughed.

"I should very much like to bury the bodies myself, if you please." demanded Lucina.

"You wanna do my job for me!?" the gravedigger called back, shocked. "Oh, you're my kinda girl! Where can I find a woman like you!?"

"I'm taken." she responded coldly.

The gravedigger chuckled, then dropped his cart and shovel. "All yours, girl. Don't bother with separate holes. No one'll miss 'em."

_I'm counting on that._

Lucina gave the crowd one more falsely enthusiastic wave before loading up the cart, careful to put the heavier warriors on bottom. As quickly as she had appeared at the arena, she was gone, carting the bodies to an isolated patch of road.

* * *

"Okay." she said. "You're free. Run." Five of the fighters stood up, said their thanks, and started off, too shaken up to stay and chat. Two remained in the cart, still unconscious. Lucina dragged them out and left them underneath a tree. Most would just pass them off as drunks.

"Wait! You. In red." Lucina called to the girl she'd fought last. "Come here."

The girl walked toward Lucina slowly, looking around and keeping her distance.

"Don't _charge _at people with a spear." the swordswoman said. "Your best advantage with a spear is your range. Keep your opponent far away where they can't hit you."

"...Thank you." said the girl, bowing slightly. "You... You saved my life. I don't know how I can repay you."

Lucina looked back at the girl. She couldn't be older than fourteen, at most. "...Might I ask your name?"

"Laura."

"Do you have somewhere to go, Laura?"

Laura cast her face downwards and shook her head no. Lucina was expecting that answer. After all, whoever had been in charge of her last had tried to send her to her death.

Lucina pulled a sheet of paper, an envelope, and a pen from her robe. "Wait here for a moment."

She scratched down a simple message.

_Noble Sir Virion,_

_This girl has no home or family. Her name is Laura. I should like to ask you for a favor. I want you to help her reach Sir Libra. I don't know where he is, but I do know he planned to set up an orphanage after the war. I believe she would have a home there. I expect you have been in more regular contact with him than I have. _

_Enclosed in this envelope is two thousand gold, as thanks for your help in this matter. She will have money to pay for her transportation and food._

_I apologize that I am unable to ask first before sending her to you, however, I trust you will do the right thing. The matter was rather urgent. Thank you once again._

_-"Marth"_

Lucina placed a few small coins in the envelope, sealed it, and handed it to Laura.

"Here. You will go south. It should only be a week long march. Follow the road signs. Buy yourself a map and a spear, too. You will find yourself in the dukedom of Rosanne. There, you will seek out an old friend of mine, the Duke of the country. His name is Virion. He's a bit... _Egotistical,_ but he has a good heart. Tell him his friend 'Marth' sent you."

"...I understand."

"Give him that letter. From there, he'll help you find a man called Libra. He runs a home for people without one."

Laura nodded. "...Why are you helping me?"

Lucina smiled at her, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Because you remind me of someone. Someone close to me. ...Here." She pulled out her bag of winnings from the arena and dug out a handful of coins.

"Here's money for food and transport." she said. "Best of luck. ...You'll be alright, Laura."

The girl weighed it in her hand, unused to holding so much money. Or _any_ money, Lucina suspected. Laura's red tunic was old, torn, and dirty. Getting a better look at her, Lucina noticed that the scars on her face were deep and deliberate, with four in a row. She would have guessed that they were from a set of brass knuckles.

The swordswoman felt disgusted. If anyone had ever done something like that to Morgan, Lucina would have their head!

Laura started to push the coins forward, as if to give them back, but then retracted her hand, apparently realizing she couldn't afford to refuse charity. Her eyes filled with tears. "...Thank you, Marth. If there's anything... Anything at all I can do for you in return..."

Lucina thought for a moment. Despite the fact that the two bore no resemblance to each other, Lucina couldn't help seeing her daughter in the girl, probably due to their similar ages. She thought to herself about how Morgan was doing. She didn't expect Morgan to forgive her for leaving, but the swordswoman missed her deeply.

The Ylissean princess instantly realized what favor she wanted to ask.

"...Um... Can you... Do you know... How to play chess?"

* * *

**Figured it was time for another Lucina chapter, especially since I can put it right as Morgan and Robin leave Port Ferox. It's a good "border," as it were.**

**To derpsquid: Heh, actually, my next Paralogue chapter actually finally has Lucina and Robin interacting! That'll be up like sometime next week. :P**

**To blueeyes: Thank you so much!**

**Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting... Really just existing. Y'all are awesome! :)**


	9. Paralogue 2: First Impressions

Robin stared out over the seas. He'd always loved sailing. On the ocean, all of their troubles and worries felt a million miles away, and to Robin, there were really very few things more beautiful then the sunset over the ocean waters.

Morgan had inherited this same love of the ocean from him. The two of them leaned on the edge of Anna's boat, watching the wake of the water behind them and the endless sea in front.

"Hey, father..." Morgan piped up. "Was grandpa mad? When he found out about you and mom?"

Robin laughed nervously. "Well, actually, he found out about us the night we met you. See, you were with Sumia at the time and..."

* * *

Robin and Lucina sat in his tent, their eyes shooting awkwardly to each other, then to the rings they both kept concealed under gloves, then just anywhere around the tent.

"...We're going to have to tell him. Tonight." Lucina spoke up eventually.

Robin sighed. "I know, I know... It's just... How do you tell someone you're going to marry his _daughter?"_

He'd _hoped _to have a bit more time before telling Chrom. After all, they'd only been engaged for a week! The only people in camp who knew were Sumia and Inigo!

Still, Morgan's sudden appearance meant that their options were to either tell Chrom about their relationship... Or let him figure out just _why _the new girl who called Robin "father" bore a striking resemblance to Lucina.

Lucina took Robin's hand in hers and smiled at him. "I'll be with you. It'll be best for him to hear it from both of us."

Robin smiled back at her with the biggest grin he could muster. His face still held a hint of nervousness, but he was happy. Happier than he'd ever been. "I still can't believe it, though. We have a _daughter! _I know it's not the most _ideal _of circumstances, but either way, it's amazing!"

"And I can't wait to meet her!"

"You'll love her! She's so smart! And she's great with a sword; she got that from you. She's so enthusiastic, too! And... So happy! We did well raising her. Er... Will do well...? I'm not sure. The point is, she's absolutely perfect!"

"Morgan, right?"

"Yeah. Morgan. Our daughter." he said, trying out the words on his lips. _Daughter. Gods, I have a daughter._ It was weird, gushing about her to her own mother. _...Our __**daughter!**__ Today is so... WEIRD! But so WONDERFUL!_

"She um... She's got amnesia, unfortunately. She doesn't remember anything but me. But still, she's really thrilled to meet you!"

Lucina frowned at him. "But I can't help thinking... If she doesn't remember me..."

"Morgan's yours, Lucina. Definitely. She's got your hair, looks a lot like you, she fights_ just_ like you, and to top it all off, she has the Mark of Naga on her hand."

Robin leaned in to kiss his fiance, only interrupted by a sudden voice from outside his tent.

"Robin? Are you in?"

The mage quickly backed away from Lucina and stood up.

"Uh... Yes... Chrom! Come in!"

The prince peeled back the flap of the tent and walked inside.

"Hey, Chrom! Lucina and I were just going over formations for tomorrow's training skirmish."

Lucina nodded in agreement.

Chrom peered at the tactician, mildly suspicious, primarily because... Well, there was no training skirmish scheduled for tomorrow. He quickly brushed it off though. Robin would never lie to him! He must be mistaken on the day!

"...Right... Robin, I have to discuss something with you. The new girl we met today. You recruited her, right?"

"I... Yes, I did. Her name's Morgan."

"Okay... So this 'Morgan'... Who is she?"

"Oh... You know, travelling mage and swordswoman. Very talented. I think she'll be a great help!" Even while trying to hide _just_ who Morgan was, Robin couldn't help inflecting his voice with incredible pride.

"Well, here's the thing. Sumia's been showing her around, and I tried to introduce myself to her earlier. Well... Sumia stopped me before I even got a good look at Morgan and said I should talk to _you_ about her. So... Why can I not meet this girl?"

"Erm..." _Alright, Robin. You can do this... _"She's uh... She's my daughter, Chrom."

"Daughter!?" Chrom said, taken aback. "I didn't even know you were married! How could you not tell your best friend? Who's the lucky lady?"

"Well... Um... I'm actually not married, just _engaged. _And- And... And we'd only been engaged for a bit, you know... And um... Erm... She's great, and I- I really care about her... You know... Like a lot... A lot a lot..."

"Let me guess!" said Chrom enthusiastically. "It's Say'ri, isn't it?"

"Heh... No, not exactly..."

"Tiki? It's definitely Lady Tiki. I see the way you two are around each other. It's _gotta_ be her!"

"Tiki, huh?" Lucina chimed in, narrowing her eyes on Robin. "I'd like to hear more about this one, father... What makes you think Tiki and Robin are a couple?"

"No!" shouted Robin defensively, giving his fiance an apologetic look. "Tiki and I have _nothing_ going on!"

"Hmmm... Tharja?" guessed Chrom.

"...She's married with a daughter."

"Huh... Well, there _must_ have been a reason Sumia was hiding her from me... You know... She _really_ seemed fond of the girl... Almost as though..." Chrom thought out loud. His face scrunched up as he put two and two together. Robin winced in visible pain as he saw Chrom coming to his (wrong) conclusion.

In one swift motion Chrom drew Falchion and pointed it at Robin's throat.

"I swear to the GODS, Robin, if you have EVER touched Sumia-"

"DEAR NAGA CHROM YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG LUCINA HELP HELPHELPHELP**HELP!"**

Lucina drew her own Falchion and crossed her father's blade.

"FATHER! DROP YOUR SWORD THIS INSTANT! MORGAN IS _NOT _SUMIA'S DAUGHTER!"

Chrom lowered his sword hesitantly. "I... Fine. I _may _have overreacted. I shouldn't have accused you, Robin. I'm... Sorry."

"Good. Now give me your sword." Lucina demanded.

"...Lucina?" Chrom asked in confusion.

"Father. Your sword. Now. If you're going to use it to threaten your friends, I think it's best that you give it to me. At least until you calm down and stop acting so _childish._"

Chrom handed over Falchion dejectedly. Out of the three of them, Lucina was undoubtedly the most intimidating when she wanted to be. She smiled and winked at Robin as he breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, with Falchion out of the picture, Robin would _survive _the night.

"Fine then. Who _is _Morgan's mother?" Chrom adopted a strict, no nonsense tone, clearly unhappy with his sword being taken away.

"Well... Like I said... Morgan isn't Sumia's daughter... Because-"

"Tiki!" Robin interrupted quickly. "You were right, Chrom! Hahaha_ha!_ It was Tiki the whole time! Now let's all just-"

"Oh, come off it, Robin!" Lucina snapped at him.

She removed her glove to show off her engagement ring.

"It's me! See? Robin and I are in love and Morgan is _my_ daughter!"

* * *

"And _that's _why... I was... Knocked unconscious the first night you came back..." Robin said, drawing his story to a close.

"You told me you were ambushed by Risen. Riding wolves." responded Morgan.

He shrugged. "I... Didn't really know what to say to you. I'd only known you for a few hours at that point. ...Chrom's always been a better hand to hand fighter than me, anyways..."

Morgan chuckled to herself. "It's funny, it always seemed to me like Grandpa _approved_ of your relationship with mom!"

"Well, he _did."_ Robin corrected her. "What he didn't approve of was hiding it from him. Chrom's always valued honesty above pretty much anything..."

* * *

Robin groaned in pain as he finally opened his eyes and looked up to see... _Six _blue haired figures staring back at him!?

No, wait. It was just two. Three times each. Robin groaned again and rubbed his head.

"I see you're awake now." Chrom said cheekily.

"Hiya, Chrom. Lucina. Where's Morgan?" Robin asked.

Lucina gestured behind her to a figure wrapped in a familiar robe asleep on a cot across from him. Between Robin's desk and his now three visitors, his already crowded tent barely held any room to breathe.

"It was a bit late to set up another tent, and she wanted to be here..." said Lucina. "She kinda just... _Collapsed_ the second we brought a cot in here."

"Poor thing. Big day, huh?" responded Robin.

"I uh... Yeah. I know from personal experience that time travel takes a lot out of you."

"Huh." He smiled and closed his eyes. "You know, Chrom, even _with _you knocking me out, I think this is the happiest day of my life. That I remember, anyhow."

Chrom sighed to himself. "I am _very _sorry about that. Believe me, Sumia and Lucina have already told me how much of an idiot I was being."

"Not Morgan? I figured she'd give you an earful too..."

"We decided it'd be best to _not _tell her exactly what happened." Lucina said. "Didn't want her to get the wrong idea about Chrom."

"Lucina..." Chrom said. "Could you give me a minute alone with Robin?"

"I'm not leaving." Lucina responded. "You'll kill him without me here."

"...I told you, Lucina. I'm okay with this."

"I'm not sure I believe that."

"Wait wait wait..." Robin butted in. "...Did you just say you were okay with_ us? _Being together?"

"Well, yes!" Chrom laughed. "I can't believe you thought I'd disapprove! Robin, there's no one I'd rather trust my daughter to! Besides, Lucina is an adult, and she's earned my trust. She can make her own decisions."

Robin's face told Chrom he wasn't at all amused by the fact that he'd been knocked out for _nothing._

"...I punched you because you lied to me. You kept this from me. I approve of your engagement to Lucina. In fact, I give you my blessing. But don't lie to me about it."

"...You're an asshole, Chrom."

"I uh... _May_ have freaked out a little when you two told me, and I'm sorry. It was a kneejerk reaction."

"...Fine. ...I accept your apology." Despite the circumstances, he was glad to have Chrom's approval.

"Good. Anyway, I just wanted to talk about... Ylissean law."

"...Where are you going with this, Chrom?"

"Oh, nowhere! I just wanted to share some interesting little pieces of information with you." he said, smirking. "For instance, did you know that torture is still technically legal in Ylisse? It hasn't been used for over a century now, but I could make an exception if I felt like it! Isn't that interesting?"

"Father!" shouted Lucina. "Don't you_ dare!"_

Robin, however, grinned, picking up on his friend's sarcasm.

"Robin," said Chrom, falling into a more serious tone, "you are a dear, dear friend. But if you ever hurt her, I _will_ end you. Goodnight, you two!"

As soon as Chrom left the room, Lucina wrapped her arms around Robin.

"I'm so sorry for the way my father is acting. I swear I won't let him torture you!"

Robin just started laughing. "Lucina, I'm sure he was joking about the torture."

"Do you think?"

"Yeah."

She laid down in the cot next to him, and neither of them cared that there wasn't nearly enough room.

"Morgan is wonderful. She's everything you said she was!"

"I'm so glad you got to spend some time with her. She's perfect."

"I'm... Worried, though. ...I don't know how to raise a child... I didn't have the example of my parents to learn from."

"Don't worry, Luce. We'll do fine. We were... Will be... Will have been great parents! At least, Morgan seems to think so. ...Will have thought so? Dear Naga, this time travel business is frustrating..."

Lucina laughed that rare laugh of hers. "You get used to it. ...The thing is, though, she thinks _you _were a great parent. ...She doesn't have the slightest idea what kind of mother I was..."

"I'll be right there with you, Lucina. Trust me. We'll do fine."

She smiled back at him.

"You know..." Robin spoke up. "Before you told us all you were Chrom's daughter and joined the Shepherds, we had a betting pool going on just who or... _What _you were."

"Is that so?" she asked.

The tactician nodded. "There were three main theories. Some thought you were some sort of angel sent by Naga. Then, there were those that thought you were a ghost. And finally, a lot of people thought you were just an ordinary swordswoman with a knack for theatrics."

Lucina chuckled to herself. "I'm glad my disguise was so effective! ...What did_ you_ think?"

"Well," he continued. "At first, I thought you were a ghost. You could disappear so easily, and you seemed so detached from everyone... I thought only a ghost could do that. _Then, _you joined us, and I thought you were just a regular swordswoman. An incredibly talented swordswoman from the future, but otherwise normal. Now, though..."

He leaned forward, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her.

"Now I see you really _are _an angel."

She grinned and blushed at him.

"I love you, Robin."

"I love you too."

The new parents laid there in silence for a while, until both had fallen asleep. Robin first, then Lucina. As far as they were concerned, they were the happiest people in the world.

* * *

"...Could that ending have been any more lovey-dovey?" Morgan finally spoke up.

"Look, it's my recollection, and I'll end it how I want to!" protested Robin. "Would you rather I make up some grand tale instead?"

"Nope!" the young girl responded. "Lucky for you, _I_ happen to like sentimental stories."

Robin laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Good. You know, I don't tell you this enough, but I love you, Morgan."

"Love you too, dad!"

* * *

**A/N: Paralogue 2! Woo! I see a lot of people in Robcina fics portray Chrom as an overprotective father who is pissed at Robin, but it always seemed to me that Chrom, although _very __hotheaded,_ trusts the women in his life to make their own decisions. He wouldn't be mad at Robin for being in a relationship with Lucina. He _would, _however, be mad at Robin trying to keep him in the dark about it. And poor Robin would be _terrified _to tell Chrom. So I rolled with that.**

**SO HEY. THAT FIRE EMBLEM 14 TRAILER LOOKS AWESOME.**

**Review responses: WOW I got a lot of reviews! I love it!**

**To Vastler75, Exactly! That chapter came together when I realized that A) Lucina needs money, B) Her marketable skills mostly revolve around fighting/survival and C) She's quite the actress, too. I'm glad people were fooled by it, at first. That was entirely my intention, I love messing with people!**

**To Zallow, Lori, and blueeyes, Thank you all so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**To Dane Namor, Yep! That was _exactly _the intended response! I wanted to make her seem more than a bit out of character at first and then explain _why _she was acting like that. It was a fun chapter to write!**

**To Kimran, Thank you so much for reviewing all the chapters! There are a few specific things I'll address, as it were...**

**Chapter 4 - One thing I always worry about when writing is giving characters a good balance of flaws and assets. As you said, it's very much a way to make a character seem "human." Really the only way to do so, in my opinion.**

**Chapter 5 - I actually based this Robin on Smash Wii U Robin. His animations (see: dash attack) indicate that he is much more of a mage than a swordfighter, since his swordsmanship is awkward and unorthodox. So I ran with that.**

**Chapter 7 - Indeed, poor Robin! He loves Morgan and Lucina, but not their sense of fashion. :P Ah well, dealing with terrible clothing choices is a small sacrifice to make to make them happy.**

**The reason I chose a new Anna instead of the old one we know is because I think it might feel a little contrived to have the old Anna randomly be there. **

**To TheLegendaryBladeFalchion, Well, I hope this lives up to your expectations! :p**

**Thank you all, and see you again in a bit!**


	10. Flames on the Blue Again

Morgan was bored.

The _Lucky Golden _was an interesting enough ship, sure. It was, in fact, a marvel of modern engineering. Assuming good weather, the _Lucky Golden _required only a single person to steer for its full crew. Anna took care of the "steering" part. Robin, meanwhile, had found an interesting ritual in Lute's tome, and was currently deep inside the ship taking care of the "good weather" part. So Morgan was left alone. And bored.

That is, until the _Lucky Golden _was struck with a catapult.

"Dear _Gods!"_ the young girl shouted. She ran towards the steering wheel, only to bump into Anna on the way.

"Pirates..." muttered the redhead, pulling herself off the ground. "You okay, Morgan?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. That was a warning shot. They won't be trying to sink this ship; they'll want to capture it. Go and get your father."

Morgan nodded, then charged her way through the innards of the ship to find her father in a deep trance, apparently unaware of what had just transpired.

"Father!" she cried. No response. She ran up to him and shook his arm. "Father! We're under attack!"

"Wha-?" Robin quickly fell back into consciousness. "Morgan!? What is it? I'm sorry, but this ritual _really _shouldn't be interrupted."

"Yeah yeah yeah I get that... But we're under attack! Pirates!"

Robin stared blankly for a moment, apparently registering the fact that he was no longer in any sort of trance.

"...Damn! What kind of armaments do we have?"

"I don't see how that's relevant when we have a crew of _three_ to operate it."

"...Right..." he said, shaking his head. "Grab your tomes and your sword, Morgan. Tell Anna to continue sailing due west, I'll join you in a minute."

"Do you have a plan, father?"

"Of course I do! Be ready for battle. I don't know if Anna can fight, but if she can, tell her to be ready."

Morgan charged back up to the bridge of the ship. "Anna! Can you fight!?"

"I'm not half bad with a sword, if it helps!"

"Great, grab your sword, and then continue sailing west!"

The ship continued its course, until it was eventually hit with another cannonball, this one aiming to tear a hole in the sail. No mere warning shot.

"Morgan, I hope your father lives up to the legend!" shouted Anna.

_Boom! _Another cannonball.

Anna held steady to the wheel, while Morgan flipped through her tomes.

_Boom!_

"Dammit, dad... Where are you!?" Morgan muttered to herself.

"Sorry I'm late!" Robin called out, running onto the deck of the ship. "Anna! Turn this thing around! Raise the white flag!"

"Surrender!?" she yelled back. _"That's_ your brilliant plan!?"

"I would _never_ surrender! I _would, _however, fake a surrender! Be ready to fight!"

"Isn't that a bit dishonorable?"

_Boom!_

"If you have a more _honorable_ plan, I'm all ears!"

Anna sighed and raised the flag as told. She spun the ship's wheel around. Robin marveled as he watched the ship's hundreds of mechanical pieces turn the sails nearly instantly. Then, he turned to his daughter.

"Morgan, this is Valflame." he said, handing her a tome. "It is a very powerful, very dangerous fire tome. When I nod towards you, I want you to use it. You'll know where to cast it."

"Got it!" she said. "What are those tomes? Is that Mjölnir?"

"This is just my trusty Thoron. _This, _however," he declared proudly, holding up a tome Morgan had never seen before, "is quite possibly the single most useless tome in existence in a battlefield setting."

Morgan, by this point used to her fathers unconventional plans, shook her head. "I certainly hope you know what you're doing..."

The _Lucky Golden _was fast approaching the pirate's ship. Robin made a point to conceal himself behind a few barrels, while Morgan stood near the front of the ship. It didn't take long at all for the pirate ship to catch up to the _Lucky Golden._

It had a crew of perhaps twenty, but was roughly the same size as Anna's ship. On the deck of the ship, several archers trained their bows on Anna and Morgan.

"Hello there, gentlemen!" Anna shouted in an all too cheery fashion. "How can I help you?"

"Shut up." said the captain bluntly. "Hands in the air, no funny-"

"Ha!" screamed Robin from behind his hiding place, extending an arm for a spell. The pirate archers aimed their bows at Robin and were about to fire... Until they realized that nothing had happened.

"Erm... Ha!" screamed Robin again, making the same movements. Nothing.

"That... Wasn't supposed to happen like that..."

"That all you got, mage?" asked the captain. "You know-"

"Look!" exclaimed the pirate ship's first mate, pointing downward.

At the base of the captain's feet was a minuscule rainbow.

"...A rainbow?" asked the bewildered captain.

"It... Uh... Was _supposed _to be light... Magic..."

The captain started laughing. "Pffffffft! You did a bang up job on that one! Boys! Come and check out this guy's 'light magic'!"

The pirate crew gathered around the tiny rainbow Robin had conjured, staring at the strange, if entirely worthless phenomenon.

Robin smirked to himself as his enemies crowded around it. _Easier than I was expecting! I _told_ Laurent I'd find a use for that tome!_

He looked towards his daughter to see the same knowing look in her eyes. "Like fish in a barrel," Morgan mouthed.

Robin nodded and mouthed back "now."

"Valflame!" cried the younger tactician. The side of the pirate ship, and most of its crew, was engulfed in an enormous explosion. The captain fell back, reeling from the pain.

"Hell, what was-"

"I've no desire," called out Robin, holding a small flame in his hand to draw attention away from Morgan, "to hurt any more of you. Should you be willing to surrender, we'll be glad to help treat your injuries."

"Kill the man!" barked the pirate captain, still clutching his head. "As for the girls... Well... It's a long way back to shore! Suppose we'll need some... _Entertainment?"_

The remainder of his crew began laughing and steadying their weapons.

There were really very few ways to make Robin angry.

Threatening Morgan was one of them. It was, in fact, by _far_ the most reliable way to make Robin angry, right next to threatening Lucina.

Of course, making Robin angry was among the dumbest things the pirate captain could have done. This was a lesson he _would_ have learned, had he not been killed by a sudden bolt of Thoron to the chest.

Instantly, the remaining members of the pirate crew began throwing whatever attacks they could at Robin. The tactician silently brushed off every arrow, every axe, and every javelin with his wind magic. A small tornado had formed around him for protection. His hand cackled with electricity, and his mouth contorted into a small frown. Without a word, he sent another bolt of Thoron through the heart of a pirate.

He was the eye of his own storm.

Morgan, meanwhile, was being far more conservative with her magic. "Arcfire!" she cried out, extending her arm. A fireball shot from her hand, killing another pirate.

By this point, the pirate crew was getting desperate. The remaining members were attempting to swing by rope to the _Lucky Golden._ Anna quickly found herself in a sword duel with one, as Robin cast two bolts of Thoron at once to kill two more before they landed on deck.

_Was... Was Thoron always this hard to cast? _he thought to himself. He felt his right arm begin to tremble... It didn't matter. At this point, he cared only about one thing, and that was protecting Morgan.

Six more left. Morgan had switched to using her rapier, with an Arcwind tome in her left hand. She was fighting two at the same time, and actually _winning._ She jumped over and around the pirates, using wind magic to power her acrobatics. A powerful blast at her feet knocked her opponent off balance and sent her directly behind him - the perfect position to run him through with her sword. A quick stab, and the pirates were down to five.

Robin found himself face to face with three remaining pirates. He cast another Thoron forwards, killing one, but for some reason, causing an enormous pain in his stomach. He doubled over in pain, giving another pirate the perfect opportunity to kick the mage's tome from his hands.

Robin rolled out of the way to face two pirates with axes advancing slowly towards him, and he was unarmed. Still, the man smirked knowingly to himself.

In _theory, _a tome was not an actual requirement to cast a spell.

In _practice, _even the most powerful mages needed tomes to perform basic combat spells. It helped them focus their magic. Sure, one could light a fire or create a gentle breeze without a tome, but few mages would _dare_ cast a spell as powerful as Thoron without something to channel their magic.

Robin was one of those few. During the wars with Valm and Plegia, he'd surprised at least a dozen troops who'd thought they had the upper hand by casting his spells with no tome in sight. It was a tiring thing to do, but he was more than capable.

At least, he _thought_ he was.

"Thor-AAAAGHHH!" Robin wretched back in pain as his right arm brimmed with electricity.

"Father!" called Morgan. She'd just won her duel with the pirate and rushed over to help Robin.

Suddenly, the world began spinning before him. He saw Morgan, then a bright flash of red, then... Nothing.

* * *

Thunder cracked loudly outside of the ship as Robin opened his eyes to see the ceiling of his room. The pain in his head caused him to close his eyes again almost instantly.

"Ugh..." he moaned. "What happened?"

"Father!" he heard Morgan cry out. He heard her footsteps approach.

"Morgan? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah... Yeah, everyone is fine..." she said. "Ugh... This is all my fault..." she muttered to herself.

"What do you mean?"

Robin heard her sit down on the end of his bed.

"...I mean you. Being hurt. You exhausted your own magical abilities. That last Thoron you tried to cast with no tome... It uh... Backfired. Hitting _you._ There's no permanent damage, thank the Gods, but still..."

"...Morgan, wouldn't that be _my_ fault?" he asked weakly.

"No... See, the reason you were so reckless with your magic was because during the war, that would have been _nothing_ to you."

"That's true, but-"

"You overestimated your abilities because during the war, you and I could both draw from _Grima's _magic. I lost that ability a year ago when he died. You did too, but you've been unaware of it. _That's _why this is my fault. I should have told you, but I didn't even think of it. You don't know your own power anymore. We're supposed to be a team, and I failed you by neglecting to tell you valuable information."

"...Well..." said Robin. "You said there was no permanent damage, right? So no harm, no foul."

She sighed, obviously not wanting to accept that answer, but having no other choice.

"...A few of the pirates survived." Morgan spoke up. "Anna's got them in the brig. She's going to see if there's a bounty when we land."

"...There was nothing honorable about my strategy there." Robin said. "But we didn't have much of a choice. And after what that captain said... An _honorable_ fight would have been too good for them."

There was a certain bite to his voice. Morgan guessed that if he were facing the pirates right then, he'd have spit in their faces at the end of that sentence.

"And a parley would have cost us the element of surprise, if negotiations turned sour. That was our only option." Morgan agreed. "...Get some rest, dad. And no magic for the next couple of days! Doctor's orders!"

"...Doctor?"

"I told you, I've been studying healing magic! Don't worry about that ritual you were conducting. I'll handle it."

Robin leaned up weakly and opened his eyes to see Morgan twirling her healing staff idly like a baton. Moreover, he noticed a thick bandage on her cheek and a bloodstain on her shirt.

"...I'm sorry you had to fight, Morgan."

"I'm no stranger to fighting, dad."

"I know. And I'm sorry for that too. ...I um... I dragged you into a war the minute I met you. But you were so enthusiastic to fight... And no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't ask the other Shepherds to send their loved ones into battle and keep you on the sidelines."

"I'll fight to keep those I care about safe. It's what I've always done, and I never regretted it for a moment. That's why I wanna be a tactician, ya know? To protect the innocent."

On the one hand, Robin felt enormous pride in her. Morgan wanted to use her talents to help people, and that's all he ever really wanted for her. Whether she was a tactician or something else entirely, protecting the innocent was the most noble goal he could ask for.

On the other hand, it was, by its very nature, a dangerous profession, and he had always worried for her. He doubted that would ever go away.

"Just... Remember this, Morgan. A tactician's_ first_ job is not to _win_ a war, but to_ prevent_ it. The best generals aren't the ones winning famous battles. They're the ones sitting behind a desk all day because their countries are peaceful. Because no one would _dare_ to attack them. Do you understand?"

"...Yeah. Once we get back to Ylisse, I'm sure grandfather will be glad to give you the most boring office job there is!"

"Heh... Well, I was considering writing a book on tactics or something..." said Robin, turning over onto his side and nearly drifting back to sleep.

"Besides..." he added. "The younger version of you will probably be born within the next year or two. I won't have the time for another war!"

"That'll be weird... Meeting me in an alternate timeline..."

"...You're not jealous, are you? You know, your mother will never admit it, but she-"

"Oh, Gods no, father! I'm pretty much just gonna induct little me into the Justice Cabal. It'll be_ so_ cool!"

_...Little Morgan is going to be even more Morgan than Morgan... _thought Robin, grinning to himself, despite the pain he was in.

_...I can't wait._

* * *

**A/N: Fun fact: Magic exhaustion is a real thing in the FE universe! I didn't just make it up! See Pent and Erk's supports in Fire Emblem 7.**

**So here's da thing. When I started writing this I had much more free time. Now I do not. So updates are gonna be just a biiiiiiit rarer. I'd rather have one good chapter every two weeks than one okay ish chapter every week, ya know?**

**Responses:**

**Vastler75: I suppose the color changing potion _would _be easier, but it also seems less readily available. Also I kinda... Didn't think of it at the time.**

**KimranReech: Yeah... I can see where you're coming from. I really do appreciate honest criticism like that, because it's the only way I'll improve. I looked back over that chapter, and I think you're right. It's not my best chapter. (For what it's worth, I feel like chapters 4, 6, and 8 are my best chapters so far.) Chapter 9 is one I might redo if I get the time... Thank you so much!**

**Sean Son of Athena: As for your chapter 4 question... This is one of the only times where I can, as an author, just use "magic" as my answer and totally get away with it, so... Magic. That's how they're driving the wagon. :P**

**As for everyone else, thank you so much, as always! I'm glad a lot of you seem to see Chrom as not super overprotective too. I got that mostly from his support with Maribelle, in which Maribelle is trying to control Lissa's love life and Chrom scolds her for it. See y'all in like two weeks ish? Trying to get my schedule for this fully worked out still, but every _other_ week will _probably _work alright. As opposed to my previous weekly schedule.**


	11. Politics, Theater, and Old Friends

It was a sunny day in Celica Harbor, formerly known as Valm Harbor. A certain pair of Shepherds had been dropped off in the city only a few hours ago. Robin and Morgan were, once again, wearing rather ridiculous outfits, hand picked by the younger girl to hide their identities.

"Hey, look at this, Morgan!"

"Dad..." said Morgan, lowering her head and reaching her free hand for her hood, before realizing it wasn't there. "Isn't the hand holding thing kinda sorta reserved for... _Romantic_ couples? I mean... _Especially_ since we're only like, a few years apart in age..."

"I don't care who it's 'reserved' for." he responded. "You _will_ hold my hand. This city is crowded, and when you ran off like that, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I just... I saw something cool, and I wanted to surprise you."

"Really?" Robin asked. "Well, what was it?"

"I don't _know,_ because you pulled me back before I could get a good _look!_ I'm sure it was like... _Really_ cool, though! And you'd have loved it!"

Robin couldn't help laughing. "Well, next time you see something cool, tell me, and we'll check it out _together._ Look at this." he said, handing her a newspaper. "'Exalt Chrom of Ylisse to announce new Minister of Plegian Reconstruction.' How about that?"

"Huh. Who do you think it is?"

"Well, it'll have to be a Plegian. That's going to be the only way to bridge the gap between the two countries... Let's see... Chrom would sooner die than appoint _Gangrel_ to any sort of government position, unless, of course, that position carried a high risk of death or dismemberment. Tharja, Noire, Inigo, and Henry have _zero _experience in politics. You and I would know if it were either of us. Which leaves Aversa as the last Plegian we know..."

"...It's weird, but... She's not actually a bad choice." added Morgan. "The woman knows politics, she's been an adviser to two previous kings, she'd even _technically_ be the next heir to the throne, after you and me..."

"And for what it's worth, I _do _think that, despite her past, she can be trusted. We can't blame her for her service to Validar, with the brainwashing and all. Even with her flaws, she's a good person at heart."

Morgan smirked at him. "Awwww!" she teased. "You have a soft spot for your little sister, don't you?"

Robin rolled his eyes at her. "I'm not sure 'my father killed her parents and brainwashed her' counts as siblings..."

"I'm right though, aren't I?"

"...Doesn't matter if you are or not." he sighed. "The Ylissean nobles would never let Chrom appoint her anyway. What with her being a _veteran_ of a war _against Ylisse..."_

"So the new minister of Plegian reconstruction will be..."

"Some idiot noble with a rich father, a decent reputation, and no knowledge of politics, yes." Then he let out a small laugh. "And a _complete_ lapdog for Flavia and Chrom. I still don't think those two trust Plegia."

"Hardly fair of him..." she grumbled. "I mean, of all the Plegians the Shepherds recruited, only, like, _half_ have actually tried to kill him... And, y'know, _you_ were hypnotized! You get a pass!"

Robin cringed. The whole "attempted murder while hypnotized" thing was still _somewhat _of a sore subject for him. Still, while Morgan had a lot of good qualities, tact was _not_ one of them.

"Yeah... That was... What's the paper say, Morgan?" said Robin, desperately trying to change the subject. "I only skimmed it."

"Direct statement from Chrom:" she began reading. "'We are entering a transitional period. In about six months, my advisers and I, along with representatives from the nation of Plegia, will begin drafting a new constitution.' Pretty standard political stuff... Plegian military severely limited, monarchy disestablished, blah blah blah... Ohh! Look at this! The author is talking about grandpa's, and I quote, 'complete silence on the rumors of Sir Robin's return.' Hah, seems like we've not been too stealthy!"

"Awww, he's waiting for me!" said Robin. "That's sweet of him."

"Huh?"

"Six months before they begin drafting a new constitution is more than enough time for me to return to Ylisstol." he explained. "He expects me, as his top adviser, to help him. That's why he's not confirming the rumors, anyway. If he told the truth, it'd look like _his_ government is waiting for _my_ return to build _Plegia's_ government. He'd look weak and dependent... It's all political."

"...But if you're right, his government _is _waiting for you."

"All the more reason he's gotta stay silent!" he laughed. "At the same time, he's not directly _denying_ the rumors... He wants them to spread. He wants _Lucina_ to hear them... Anything else in there of interest?"

"Hmmm... Nope... There's just-"

She stopped mid sentence as she turned the page.

"Dad. Look. At. _This."_

Morgan handed the newspaper to her father, turned to the local section. He smirked as he read the play announcement she was referring too.

"...I suppose," he said "we _could_ take a night to relax. Catch a show..."

* * *

"A dashing tale! A tale of heroics! Of love! Of war! Of loss! A tragedy! A comedy! A romance! The story of the man who sacrificed his life... To save the **_world!"_**

The audience let out an audible gasp as Robin and Morgan took their places in the theater. It was a packed show. Apparently, this acting troupe, the Chon'sin Twelve, were renowned throughout the Valmese continent. And very, _very, _popular. Robin was flattered that such a well known group was performing a play titled "The Brave Shepherds."

"See the heroes of the _war against Grima! _The saviors of the world!" the narrator continued. "The newly Exalted King of Ylisse, Chrom! The swordswoman with the gift of foresight, Lady Lucina! And, last, but _certainly_ not least, the loyal tactician, the High Deliverer, the late Sir Robin! Watch the three heroes and the rest of the Shepherds as they take on incredible odds!"

The audience erupted with cheers. Somewhere in the middle of it, a voice called out proclaiming that Robin was still alive.

"Who said that?" asked the narrator. "About Robin?"

"Me!" a man called back. "Sir Robin lives! I saw him the other day!"

"What's your name?"

"Walter, sir."

"Walter, eh?" the narrator questioned. "Now, that's not a Chon'sinese name, is it?"

The audience burst into laughter. "Walter" was probably one of the _least _common names in Chon'sin.

"Er... No, no it's not." responded Walter.

_"Of course_ it isn't!" the narrator shot back, grinning. "Well, Walter, if there's one thing you gotta learn about Chon'sin plays, it's that, even if Sir Robin _were _alive, we'd never let something as silly as _facts _stop us from performing a good tragedy! _Everyone_ loves a great story!"

Once again, the audience cheered and laughed.

"And now," said the narrator, speaking over the still unruly audience. "We implore you to quiet down and observe, a beautiful story, independent of any 'rumors,' ladies and gentlemen... The Brave Shepherds!"

Robin was shocked at how quickly the audience had calmed down. He then watched as several actors made their way across the stage, covered by darkness, clearly supposed to be Chrom, Lissa, and... Himself.

They were fairly accurate representations, besides a few minor nitpicks. Chrom's actor being shorter than Robin's, for example. Still, the attention to detail on the costumes was incredible! The actor playing Robin had spared no expense fashioning himself an authentic Grimleal robe, and Lissa's actress must have spent several hours getting her hair to stand like that. Chrom's actor had even gotten the Brand on his right shoulder!

Then, lights shone on the stage, generated by mages dressed in black standing off to the side. 'Robin' was lying on the floor, and 'Chrom' and 'Lissa' walked onstage. 'Lissa' quickly tripped over 'Robin.'

"Chrom!" she called. "There's a man lying here on the ground!"

"I see a woman next to him, too." 'Chrom' snarked back. "Well, don't just sit there! Help him up!"

* * *

"Then, in Naga's name, we shall set the very seas themselves ablaze!" shouted the actor calling himself Robin. "For every two ships we have, we shall set one in flames! Ram them into the enemy's navy! Begin evacuating the ships in the front lines, and load the oil onto them!"

"...It was closer to _two fifths_ of the ships..." muttered the real Robin.

"Gods, he's either mad or brilliant!" declared actress Lucina, more to the audience than to any other character. "You heard the man! Today, we send Walhart's dogs back where they came from!"

Lucina, in this play, had been made into not a princess from the future, but a travelling mercenary who happened to be able to see the future. Most of the public hadn't believed the time travel rumors.

"Mom has _never_ sounded like that!" whispered Morgan, chuckling. Still, despite the artistic liberties taken in the name of entertainment, the show _was _quite brilliant. Morgan and Robin both loved the performances.

Then the orchestra started up, with fiery, passionate battle music accompanying a fight scene, as 'Lucina,' 'Robin,' and 'Chrom' fought off Valmese soldiers. Mages dressed in full black costumes contributed brilliant sparks to the show, while at the same time remaining mostly hidden. 'Virion' fired arrows with fabric on the ends every which way. The arrows could likely still hurt someone, however. It was a testament to the skill of all involved when 'Virion's' arrows narrowly missed the extras, who then collapsed on the floor.

But by far the most impressive part of the spectacle was a 'Nowi' costume operated by several actors. The dragon roared and shot large chunks of ice (actually orbs of light generated by the mages) at the helpless Valmese.

Morgan's eyes drifted to the orchestral pit, looking over the musicians as they played with more feeling than any she had seen before. Except, perhaps...

"...Dad, look over there!" she said, pointing. "...Is that Brady!?"

The unmistakable face of Maribelle and Vaike's son loomed in the string section. It had to be him, what with his blonde hair, hunched stance, and signature scar over his right eye. He played his violin with more skill than he ever had while in the army, never missing a single note.

"I... Dear _Gods,_ it is! We'll have to meet up with him after the show!"

* * *

"For Ylisse!" shouted 'Robin,' charging at an enormous fake dragon head peering in from the side of the stage.

"For Chrom!"

He struck another blow.

"For the Shepherds!"

One more blow.

"Most of all... For Lucina!"

He plunged his blade into the giant prop. It writhed around in pain before striking 'Robin' and knocking him to the ground. It then let out a horrible screech and fell to the floor, lifeless.

Well, as lifeless as a puppet could be, anyway.

'Lucina' charged in from stage right and grabbed 'Robin' in her arms.

The real Robin, at this point, mostly tuned out from the play. As much as he had thoroughly enjoyed the show, watching his loved ones mourn him, even as a recreation, was painful. Still, he could hardly fault the theater for that. It was, to them, a completely impersonal story. He did, however, tune back in just in time to see the curtain drop over 'Lucina' passionately kissing 'Robin' goodbye.

The audience broke into thunderous applause as the actors came in front of the curtain and took a collective bow. Robin looked to his right to see Morgan clapping and wiping tears from her eyes.

"That was... That was _so sad!" _she said. "Dad! Did you hear you? And then mom!?"

"I uh... Yeah, very sad, wasn't it?"

Morgan brought her father into a hug.

"I mean... Not... Not as sad as the real thing, of course, but still..."

He sighed. "I uh... Don't really remember much about the battle. Most of it was lost in a rush of adrenaline. And... _Dying_ kinda overrode anything about the battle before it..."

"It was one tough fight." responded Morgan. "No permanent injuries, but... The healers were busy after that battle. ...Mom got a pretty nasty scar out of the whole ordeal."

"Yeah. Lissa told me. Across her chest, right?"

Morgan nodded. "She healed fine, thank the Gods."

"I... I should remember that... I remember fighting Grima... Parrying his blows, but just brief flashes..."

He closed his eyes in thought.

"...The battle plan. I remember it vaguely. We had four... Was it five? No... Four teams... And then..."

He shut his eyes tighter and placed a hand to his forehead.

"I can tell you about it later." Morgan blurted out quickly. "We've got a violinist to catch! Come on!"

Robin looked back at the orchestra pit to see the musicians taking their leave. Before he had a chance to say anything, Morgan grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the seats.

* * *

"Bradyyyy! Brady Brady Brady _Brady!_ Look over here!"

The violinists had nearly left the theater when Brady heard the call.

"Sounds like you've got yourself a fan, eh, Babyface?" remarked a tall, dark haired woman next to the musician. "Go on, say hi! She might be cute!"

Brady groaned and turned around. "Yeah, whaddya- ...Morg!? That _you!?"_

Brady's answer came in the form of a hug. "Brady! It's been so long! You did so good! I heard you playing and I was all 'wow he's improved that's crazy he's so good when did he get so good why didn't he ever tell me he was so good!'"

"Heh... Uh, thank you, Morgan!"

"What, no introductions?" asked the dark haired girl. "Your friend has... _Quite _the interesting fashion taste."

"Oh! Right! Sorry." responded Brady. "Elle, this is Morgan. Old friend of mine. She was a character in the play, actually! She's a Shepherd!"

"Morgan... That's... Wait. _THE _Morgan!? The one you told me about!? _Robin's_ _daughter!?"_

"In the flesh!" declared the blue haired girl proudly.

"Milady, forgive me." she said, falling on her knees. "I-I had no idea I was in the presence of m-my queen. My name is Eleanor."

"...Your what, now?" asked Morgan.

"She's a Plegian." commented Brady. "And a staunch royalist. She also knows the whole story of the Shepherds, time travel and all."

_Ah. That explains it._

The war had divided Plegia into two main groups, both politically and religiously. One group, known as the nationalists, had decided that the death of Grima meant that Plegia no longer _had_ a god, and supported a new government led by a confederation of Plegian states. The other group, the royalists, had decided that _killing_ a god made _you_ the new god. They were, therefore, rather irrevocably in favor of finding Robin, or his closest living relative, and appointing _them_ as the new ruler of Plegia. This was in _spite_ of the fact that very few members of the general public knew about Robin's heritage.

And Eleanor, under the belief that Robin was dead, had instead appointed Morgan as her ruler.

"Y-your Highness, I-I assure you that the P-Plegian monarchy shall be restored, with you at the helm. U-until that day comes, and forever after, I am your h-humble servant."

"Let's... _Not,_ with the serving thing. I'm not a queen. I mean, like, _technically_ I'm a princess but I'm like fifth in line for the Ylissean throne and there really _is _no Plegian throne anymore soooo-"

"But there can be!"

"I'm... Not really interested in ruling anyone?"

Eleanor's jaw dropped. The poor girl was stunned.

"Told you." added Brady.

Desperately wanting to avoid awkwardly being named queen of any further countries, Morgan turned her attention back to Brady.

"Okay! So! Brady! I've got something to show you!" said Morgan, pulling out a rescue staff from her bag. "May I re introduce to you, slayer of ancient dragon god things, chief tactician of the Halidom of Ylisse, the one, the only... _Robin!"_

Morgan moved her staff, and a green orb appeared, bringing Robin into view next to her.

"Oh! Hi, Brady!" he waved.

"Ta-daaaa! Now with one hundred percent less Grima!" the young girl added cheekily.

"Morgan thought it would be fun if I made a bit of an entrance so... Rescue staff!" said the white haired man.

"...You're... _Robin..."_ said Eleanor.

"Last I checked, yeah. You're a friend of Brady's, I take it?"

"...The... _Dead..._ Robin..."

"Turns out being dead was more of a temporary inconvenience."

"Wha... Buh... I-I..."

"She's the first chair violinist for this little troupe. And a _huge_ fan of yours. Name's Eleanor." said Brady. "Hell's bells, though, the rumors were true! Robin lives! Chrom sent me a letter, talkin' about how you came back and your whole journey now, but I'll be damned if it ain't somethin' to see you in the flesh! I didn't quite believe Chrom's letter, at first!"

Eleanor, at this point, fell back on her knees. "M-m-my liege!"

"...Erm... Can you... Stand up, please? And call me Robin?"

"Y-you're the _Godslayer!_ Y-you w-w-would... So _casual!?"_

_...I knew there was a reason I wanted to stay incognito..._

"I'm Robin. _Just_ Robin." he sighed. "That was a fantastic performance you all put on! Very impressive!"

"We're, uh, kinda in the middle of taking this play all throughout the continent." said Brady, pulling a flyer off the wall next to him and handing it to Robin. "Sorry 'bout all the little factual inconsistencies. I didn't write it. I... _Did _help 'em out with the costumes, and I managed to convince them to take out some of the more... _Glaring_ missteps."

"Don't apologize!" demanded Morgan. "You were great! _Really! _Brady, there's so much we've gotta catch up on!"

"I can stick around for an hour or two..." responded Brady.

"Dad! Do we have time?" Morgan asked her father.

"Sure we-"

...And _that's_ when he noticed it. _So THAT'S what this is about. _Robin recognized that look. He'd recognized when Morgan subtly moved herself closer to Brady, her excitement to show Brady her staff magic... Which, now that he thought about it, _was _Brady's preferred branch of magic.

Robin knew his daughter well enough to recognize her developing a bit of a crush.

_...How to handle this... She'd probably not want her dad sitting in on a pseudo-date..._

"I mean... I dunno, Morgan. We've gotta leave _pretty_ early in the morning..."

"Pleeeeeeeease! Please please please please _please!"_

_The puppy dog eyes. She really knows what she's doing..._

"Well... _I'm_ going back to the inn." he said. "You can come with me, or hang out with Brady for a while, if you think you won't be too tired in the morning..."

"Of course not!" she cheered. "I won't be too tired! Goodnight, dad! I'll see you in a couple of hours!"

"Don't stay out too late! It was great to see you again, Brady!"

"Goodnight, Robin!" said Brady, shaking his hand.

"Sorry I couldn't stay too long. Just felt it appropriate to congratulate you on an outstanding show. Goodnight!"

As he walked away, Robin considered whether or not he would be morally justified in following them, Tharja style. It _would _be Morgan's first sort-of-date, after all. ...On the other hand, they _were _both responsible enough... Decisions, decisions...

"W-w-wait!" called Eleanor, finally regaining her voice and rushing after Robin. "Y-your Highness! Do you need anything? A bodyguard? A violinist? A secret lover? Your Majesty! Wait!"

Once she was out of earshot, Morgan burst into laughter. "Pffft! _HAH!_ A secret lover! Did you hear that, Brady?"

"...You're not worried?" the priest questioned as he took a seat on the rail of the orchestra pit.

"About _my_ dad!? He practically _worships _the ground my mother walks on! He'd _never_ betray her! The- the very _idea_ of it! Bah hah hah _HAH!" _Morgan laughed as she sat next to him.

A smile came across the violinist's face. "Heh, I missed this. The happy-go-lucky Morgan, I mean. It's great to see you back to your old self! It's just... Last time I saw ya..."

"...Brady, the last time you saw me wasn't _exactly_ the happiest moment of my life." she reminded him. It _was _just after she'd lost her father, after all.

"I... Yeah." he said simply.

"Speaking of that time... I... Never said thank you. For, y'know. Saving my mom's life like you did."

"No need for thanks. I was a healer. It was my job."

They both recounted that final battle vividly. Lucina's desperate charge towards Grima, him striking her down, and Morgan carrying her unconscious body back to the first healer she saw as Robin faded away in the distance. Even after spending the entire day treating the injured, the thing that stuck out most in Brady's mind was seeing Morgan's robes stained with Lucina's blood.

"Still..." she leaned over and hugged the blonde. "Thank you. If you hadn't been there..."

He awkwardly reached over and patted her shoulder to comfort her.

"You'll find your mom, Morgan. I'm sure of it."

The two chatted for a while, reminiscing about their time in the army and discussing all that had happened in the year since they'd last seen each other. Apparently, Brady had joined the Chon'sin Twelve about four months ago, shortly after his other self was born. The name was really a misnomer, he explained. When it had started as a troupe, there really _were _only twelve people, and they _were _all from Chon'sin. But the group exploded in popularity and hired an orchestra and extras from all over the world. The original twelve actors remained and played most of the big roles, but the "International Seventy-something" didn't have quite the same ring to it, so the old name stuck.

Morgan talked about her time in the castle for a few months, and then later leaving for Regna Ferox to look for Robin. She explained how she'd supported herself by performing magic for people. Sometimes she'd just put a tip jar in a crowded street and perform a fireworks show. Rarely, though, she'd work as a medium to contact dead friends and family members for people. It was a fantastically difficult ritual to conduct, but_ very_ lucrative. Luckily for Morgan, even _without_ Grima's power, her father's side of the family had an incredible affinity for dark magic. The fact that her magic _couldn't _contact Robin had been the one thing assuring her that he'd come back.

It wasn't long before Brady needed to catch up with the other musicians and head to the next destination. So he walked Morgan back to the inn, said his goodbyes, and headed off.

The next morning, Robin and Morgan would leave for the Mila tree, and Brady for some city on the other side of Valm. Even though they couldn't visit long, Morgan had been thrilled to see an old friend. It was sort of... Normal, for her. If nothing else, it was a temporary return to how things had been during the war. She was looking forward more and more to a full return to form.

Well, a return to form _sans war._

Said return to form was creeping closer and closer. The Mila tree was only a few days away, and from there, with Tiki's help, Robin could find out exactly where Lucina was. It would be perhaps a few weeks more, at most.

Robin had a plan beyond just finding out where she was. He wasn't entirely sure how well it would work, but he did have a plan.

He _always _had a plan.

* * *

**So, even ignoring this author's note and counting all others, this is my longest chapter by far. I didn't get it published as soon as I had wanted, but I hope it turned out okay!**

**I like Morgan with Brady. I know it ain't the most popular pair for her, but I like it. He's sweet.**

**Not much more to say except I _really _like the chapter I'm working on where they meet up with Tiki, which should be out in a couple weeks ish... Depending on whether or not I choose to go for another Paralogue first. I do HAVE at least two more Paralogues I'd like to do. Not sure where I'll put them, though.**

**Review responses!**

**To KimranReech: Well, it's important to remember that A) Anna didn't actually do much fighting in that chapter, B) Robin wasn't so much at his limits as he was completely misusing his powers, and C) Robin started the chapter by being interrupted in the middle of a powerful ritual from Lute's tome. He was _already _more than a bit drained, as it were.**

**To Moray: Mostly I intended Anna bringing up honor as a response to Robin faking a surrender. She expected _him_ to follow more rules, even if she isn't as concerned about it herself.**

**To Dane Namor: Part of me felt that in writing a Robcina fic I was almost _obligated_ to include a "Chrom finds out" chapter. :P Ah well, I had a lot of fun with it!**

**To Sean: Heh, I _did _toy around with that idea when I was first coming up with ideas for the fic. I eventually decided that it made the whole situation even _more _uncomfortable for all involved and chose not to follow that route.**

**...However, if you'll note the dates I give in this chapter about Brady's birthday, at least one of the Shepherds _was _pregnant during the battle with Grima in the universe of this fic. :P**

**To everyone else: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for reading this, reviewing it, all you guys do. It's because of you guys that I try and make this fic as entertaining and interesting as possible, and, even if I sometimes fall short of what I'm hoping for, it's all you fans that inspire me to keep writing and improving! You're all FANTASTIC!**


	12. Only Human

"Are we almost there?" Morgan asked. Climbing the staircase of the Mila tree was no easy task.

"It shouldn't be much further now."

"Man, this tree is _huge..."_

"...Huh. I forgot for a moment that you've never been up here. Can't wait til you see the top!"

"It does look amazing, even from here..."

Robin smiled. "We're uh... About halfway now."

"Wait, _halfway!?_ It's taken us, like, fifteen minutes to get here!"

Robin cleared off a step and sat down, reaching a canteen of water toward Morgan. She thanked him, took the water, and sat down next to him.

"How does Tiki do it!?" she asked. "Walking up and down that staircase all the time..."

"She can fly, Morgan."

"Oh. Right. ...I should get a wyvern."

"...Maybe for your birthday, kiddo." said Robin, ruffling her hair. "You know, you never told me how your date went the other day."

"I-it wasn't a date, dad!"

"Oh, good. I don't want you dating Brady."

"Well why not!?" she demanded, her face turning a deep red. "He's really sweet, and, and also it wasn't a date!"

Robin laughed to himself. "I'm just teasing you! You can date him if you want!"

"Hmph. Well. I... Kay..." She frowned as her face somehow managed to redden even further.

Robin grinned. "Alright..." he said, standing up. "Let's get a move on."

"This tree, dad... It's... It's enormous! It's gigantic! Ginormous! It's..."

* * *

"Breathtaking, huh?" declared Robin proudly.

Finally reaching the top of the tree, Morgan stood and stared awestruck at her surroundings. A shrine to Naga stood at the center, and leaves surrounded it on all sides. Looking down, she could see for miles. Robin had told her about it before, but this was the first time she'd seen it for herself.

"So... Lady Tiki lives here?"

Her answer came in the form of a loud screech. The pair looked up to see a giant green dragon soaring gracefully through the sky. The dragon flew towards them, causing Morgan to duck instinctively. Robin, on the other hand, stood in his place, knowing she would do nothing to hurt them. She transformed out of her dragon form as she landed.

"Robin! I _knew _you would return!" shouted the green haired woman as she ran up to hug the tactician.

"Tiki! It's been far too long."

Tiki winced in confusion for a moment, unable to comprehend the fact that Robin considered their, to her, incredibly short separation "too long." She turned towards the younger woman.

"And how are you, Morgan?"

Morgan bowed her head in respect. "Lady Tiki."

"Come now, Morgan. No need to be so formal. We fought together as equals, did we not?"

"I... Yes, I suppose we did."

Suddenly Tiki turned back to Robin and stared for a moment, analyzing him.

"...Robin. You no longer have it."

Morgan looked to Robin, expecting some sort of explanation. Her father merely shrugged in response, just as confused as she was.

"When we first met," Tiki continued, "I explained that you had power like mine. It's gone now. It was Grima's power."

"Ah, that." said Robin.

"...Your soul is... Different, now."

"Good different or...?"

"What I meant to say, is that the part of your soul that was Grima is gone. However, _you_ are the same. So... Good different."

She smiled at him.

"Please, come inside!" She motioned the two towards the shrine where she lived. Robin and Morgan followed.

It was a humble home. Tiki led them to a small parlor, with a few chairs, a bookshelf, a staircase, a fireplace, and not much more.

"Can I get you something? Tea, perhaps?"

Before Robin could answer, Tiki had brought in a pot of tea and a few cups for her guests.

"So, then. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, I have a favor to ask, if you don't mind."

"Please do."

"Alright." said Robin, taking a sip of tea. "This is excellent! You have to give me the recipe!"

"...Somehow, I don't think that's the favor you came to ask."

"Oh, no, of course not. Well, here's the thing. After that final battle with Grima, when I disappeared, Lucina left to go look for me. I want to conduct a divination to find her, and for that, I need your help."

"You want my talons."

"...If you don't mind." Robin was mildly taken aback by the fact that the daughter of Naga was evidently familiar with dark magic rituals, but then reasoned that she must know _something _about almost everything, given her age.

"Of course not. I would love to help you two reunite."

"Great, thank you! I'll just-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Tiki pressed a small pouch into his hands.

"...You save your toenail clippings?" Robin asked.

"Do you fancy yourself the first mage to ask me for help finding someone they've lost?"

"...Just seems a little odd..." he admitted.

"Coming from you, that's quite the declaration."

"It's true, I _have_ seen my fair share of weird things..." he said, gesturing towards Morgan and grinning cheekily.

"Hey!" she protested, smacking her father on the shoulder. "What's _that_ supposed to mean!?"

"...You're a time traveler, sweetheart."

"So!? Lots of people are!"

"And now you've proven my point."

Morgan huffed and pouted. "...Fine."

The trio chatted for a while, with Robin catching Tiki up on their journey so far. Eventually, the topic turned back to Robin's divination.

"You can't conduct your divination here." Tiki spoke up. "This place is filled with Naga's divine magic. It would interfere with the dark magic you intend to use."

"...Right."

"There's a town not more than an hour from here. You can perform your ritual there. Will Morgan be going with you?"

Robin turned his attention to his daughter. "It's up to you, Morgan. If you _did_ come with me, you'd be watching me watch a cloudy silver orb. Divination rituals don't work for anyone except the caster."

"If your father doesn't mind, you're more than welcome to wait here with me. I should like to get to know you better." said the divine dragon.

"I suppose I'll stay here, then, if it's no trouble."

"None at all." said Tiki.

Robin started toward the exit. "Alright, then! Thank you so much for your help, I'll be back in a few hours."

"Once you reach the base of the Mila tree, walk south. You should happen upon a road. There's only one path on it. It leads directly to the town. There, you should be able to perform your ritual with no outside interference."

"I can't thank you enough. I'll be back as soon as I find out where Lucina is. Morning, at the latest."

"Take care, Robin."

He waved and left the house, as Morgan found herself taking an interest in the divine dragon's bookshelf.

* * *

Robin had rented a room in an inn for his ritual. He leaned over a small cauldron, dropping in Tiki's talons, a lock of Morgan's hair, a frog's eye, and a few pegasus feathers. He pulled a tome out of his robe and said the incantation. Suddenly, a large orb appeared above the cauldron.

The silver orb started to clear up, until it resembled a window. Robin looked through it to see...

Himself. Conducting a dark magic divination.

He sighed. _Of course. _He looked back down to his tome. _A divination to show one's closest living blood relative._

A small note at the bottom informed him that in the case of multiple relatives with the same relation, the spell would default to the one who was closest by distance.

_At least I know it works..._

He waved his hand, and the orb returned to its cloudy, silver color. Robin then pulled a dictionary of ancient speech from his robe. He quickly looked up the word for "female," and adjusted the incantation to specify that he was trying to find Morgan's closest living _female _relative.

The orb cleared up again, this time showing a riverbank surrounded by trees. It was serenely beautiful scenery. By the base of one of the trees sat Lucina, silently enjoying an apple and watching the river flow.

Robin smiled to himself, as tears welled up in his eyes. Seeing her for the first time in over a year, and to know that she was okay made Robin happier than he'd been in a long time.

He looked by the riverbank to see a group of flowers. _Jackpot._ He reached into his robe and pulled out a green tome. He focused for a moment, and then watched as Lucina's hair was pushed back by a gentle breeze.

_Perfect! This'll work!_

Robin refocused his attention on the flowers, then, carefully, played with weak wind magic. He was too far away to do much, but messing with flowers was well within his range.

Lucina turned her head to see one of the flowers torn from the ground and land next to her. Then another, then another. Eventually, a messy, yet deliberate, bouquet of flowers formed next to her.

She picked it up, then looked around. "...Hello? Is someone there?"

A quick breeze brushed over her hand. Over her engagement ring.

Lucina nervously placed two flowers on the ground next to each other.

"...The one on my left is 'yes.' The one on my right is 'no.' Do you understand?"

The flower on the left was blown forward a few feet. Lucina bent down and moved it back to its original position.

Lucina was a bit taken aback, and a bit scared, but... Something told her this was important. Whatever entity this was seemed to be cooperating, and didn't _seem _to have any intentions of harming her... In fact, its sole action up to this point was to give her a bouquet of flowers.

"...Are you... Someone I know?"

The "yes" flower moved forward again.

_...Flowers... Who would give me..._

"...Robin?" she whispered in disbelief.

The flower on the left once again moved a few feet forward.

Lucina smiled and covered her mouth in excitement. She quickly put the flower back into its position.

"...Are... Are you alive?"

For the fourth time, the flower on the left was blown forward.

Lucina began laughing to herself. After so long, he was alright! Her search was nearing its end!

"You're far away, though, aren't you?"

_Yes._

Tears welling up in her eyes, she asked another question.

"But... You're in this world? You're not communicating with me from some other world? Some Outrealm?"

_Yes._

"...That might have been worded a bit confusingly. Can we meet each other in person? Face to face?"

_Yes._

"You're not a ghost of some sort?"

_No._

"...Is Morgan with you?"

_Yes._

"...And... And she's alright?"

_Yes._

"...I... She must hate me..."

_No._

"...Robin... I have an idea, to help us communicate. Can you meet me back here in an hour?"

_Yes._

"...Okay, Robin. I'm holding you to this. ...I'll see you in an hour. If I don't... I'll head back to Ylisstol castle. Meet me there. I love you."

Lucina started away from the clearing, as Robin smiled to himself, overcome with joy. He cleared the orb in front of him, and a small spark flew in the cauldron, burning up the ingredients he'd used. _An hour, _he thought, setting up an hourglass he'd brought with him. _Glad I brought spare ingredients for another ritual. ...An hour, and then we can talk again._

_...Actually, I have enough here for two more rituals..._

Robin set up the cauldron again for another go, placing the necessary ingredients inside. However, this time he substituted a lock of his own hair in for Morgan's. He adjusted his incantation once again to specify who he was looking for.

This was something he'd been curious about since Validar first mentioned it.

Suddenly, the silver orb reappeared above the cauldron. Unfortunately, no matter how many times Robin said the incantation, the orb retained its silvery color. He waved the orb away, and the ingredients in his cauldron burst away in a spark.

He couldn't say he didn't expect that reaction. Rituals like this were rather easy to block if one knew how, and a woman on the run from the Grimleal would be blocking any dark magic thrown her way. Barring that, Robin had no idea if his mother were even _alive._

Robin had mixed emotions about her. On the one hand, he couldn't say he loved her. He hadn't the slightest recollection of her

On the other hand, he was frustrated. His mother was the woman who'd saved his life, who'd given him the chance to be something other than Grima's vessel. He believed he _would _love her if he could remember anything about her.

He began to wonder if that was how Morgan felt about Lucina, too. At least, at first.

_Lucina... _He laid down and stared at his hourglass.

_Fifty more minutes..._

* * *

_...Wow, this tome must be... Hundreds of years old! _thought Morgan. _...I don't suppose Lady Tiki will mind me taking a look... Just a peek... She doesn't need to know..._

"Oifey was a brilliant tactician. I can see why you'd be interested in his work." said Tiki.

"GAH!" shrieked Morgan. "I was just- I was just taking a look!"

"It's alright! Why would I have books if I never wanted them read?"

"I-I... It just... Looks so old and rare..."

"You can keep it, if you'd like."

_"WHAT!?"_

Tiki laughed. "Morgan, how long ago did Oifey live?"

"...Nearly three thousand years, from what I've read of him."

"Does paper last that long?"

"No! Not usually! Th-that's why I can't take this diary! This book must be as old as _you!"_

"Do you believe that Oifey _personally_ authored that book?"

"...It says it's his diary..."

"And that it is. But he didn't pen _that _copy."

Morgan raised a finger in protest, before realizing she didn't exactly have any way to tell Tiki where her own books came from.

"Morgan, I have my entire library transcribed into new tomes every two hundred years or so. That book in your hand is probably, oh... Three hundred years old, by now? The point is, I have another copy of it. So giving it to you is honestly no problem at all!"

"...Oh..."

Tiki smiled as Morgan sheepishly slid the tome into her robe.

"...Thank you so much, Lady Tiki." she said, once again bowing.

"Morgan..." Tiki frowned. "I thought I told you not to be so formal."

"R-right." she replied nervously. "It's just... You're the daughter of my _goddess._ It's hard to _not_ be intimidated when I _pray_ to your mother..."

"I am not my mother." Tiki responded calmly. "Besides, your father _killed_ a god. Perhaps I should bow to you, instead?"

"M-milady!" Morgan shouted back in shock. "I could _never_ ask such a thing!"

"Then you now know how I feel."

Morgan sighed in defeat.

"So..." continued Tiki. "Equals, then?"

"Equals." the younger girl agreed. "You, um... You knew my ancestors?"

"I've likely met many of your ancestors, though I assume you're referring to the Hero-King?"

Morgan nodded.

"Your mother is so proud of that. Yes, Mar-Mar was the dearest friend I'd ever known. Both of your parents resemble him greatly. Your father for his kindness, and your mother for her leadership skills."

"Do... Do I?"

"...You are more like his wife, Caeda. She was so headstrong, that woman. Always putting her loved ones before herself. She was... Perhaps a bit childish, too."

"Childish!?" she demanded. "I am _not _childish!"

"I meant no offense! I find your curiosity and energy to be great qualities!"

"I'm sixteen! ...Ish..."

"Yes, and I'm three thousand ish."

Morgan once again sighed in defeat.

"...So, what can you tell me about Marth?"

"He was a kind man, always looking out for his friends. He was-"

"No no no! Not that! I wanna know about his tactics!"

"Couldn't you learn that from a book?"

"S'not the same. You were a soldier in his army! I gotta know what made him tick!"

"Well, I'd be glad to share some of what I know with you. Here..." she said, walking toward her bookcase. "Take this book. It was written by another soldier in Marth's army. A tactician, like you."

_"Battlefield Tactics of the Altean Army, by Lady Katarina of Altea. _I've... Never heard of her."

"Many of the history books eliminated her. The fact is, she once fought against Marth before joining his side. The historians decided that a Marth that offered mercy to his enemies didn't fit into the myth they were building, so many of the records of her deeds were eliminated." Tiki said with just a hint of bitterness.

"Was she Marth's chief tactician?"

"No, that was a man called Jagen, during the war. Afterwards, the role passed on to a man named Cain."

"The Bull of Altea? Sully told me about him!"

"Right, exactly! After the war, Katarina continued to serve Marth. She became another general of Altea. She wrote that book, recounting the strategies Jagen used during the wars, and her own personal suggestions on their use."

"...Tiki, what inspired people to fight for Marth?"

"That." the divine dragon responded, not missing a beat.

"...Huh?"

"You called me Tiki. Not _Lady _Tiki, as you had tried to earlier. You're treating me as your equal."

"...Huh." Morgan responded, nodding and putting her hand under her chin.

"There were no nobles, or royalty in Marth's army. Everyone was Marth's brother or sister, and he treated everyone exactly the same. As family. _That _is how you inspire people to join your cause."

The tactician furrowed her brow in thought.

"Your mother and grandfather have the same quality." the older woman continued. "That's how they're able to be such effective leaders."

"...My mother..." she repeated. "...I wonder what she's up to right now..."

* * *

Lucina walked back into the same clearing, this time carrying a bag. She dumped the contents of the bag, revealing twenty eight hand carved wooden blocks. The kind used to teach children to spell.

Twenty six of them were labeled with the letters of the alphabet, while two had the words "yes" and "no" sloppily carved over whatever they had said originally. She laid them out in front of her, with yes first, then no, and then the letters arranged alphabetically.

She pulled a notebook and a pencil out of her coat pocket, and, hesitantly, spoke up again. To some extent, she still couldn't believe it. She didn't understand how, but Robin was communicating with her through the wind. It would have seemed unbelievable to most, but something in her gut told her it was true.

Besides, this _was_ exactly the sort of thing Robin would think of...

"...Robin? Are you here?"

The 'yes' block turned over, pushed by the wind. Lucina quickly reoriented it and smiled.

"Where are you?"

'M' turned over. Then 'I.' Then 'L.' Then 'A.'

Lucina jotted down the letters in her notebook as they turned.

"Mila!? You're near the Mila tree!?"

'Yes' turned over.

"That's...!" Lucina began laughing to herself out of sheer joy. "That's a little over a month's journey from here!"

She reset the blocks, then noted some of them begin turning over.

_W-H-E-R-Y-O-U_

In that order. The fact that she had brought only one of each letter caused small problems in communication, but it was too late to rectify that.

"There's a town north of Valm Castle called Mycenia. I'm only a few minutes outside of it. I bought these blocks from a woodcarver there."

As soon as the blocks had been reset, they began turning over again.

_Y-O-U-A-L-R-I-G-H-T_

"Yes, Robin. I'm fine. Better than I've been in a long time, actually."

_S-A-M-E_

If her smile could have gotten any bigger at that point, it would have. She pulled out a large sheet of paper she'd been keeping in her tunic and laid it out in front of her.

"I have this map... Let's see... If you're by the Mila tree..."

She traced her fingers over the land.

"Here. Duma. It's just under three week's distance from both of us. Can you and Morgan meet me there? On... Say... The sixth of August? Three weeks from today?"

_Yes._

"Good. ...I'm so glad right now... I'm almost expecting to wake up and realize this is all a dream..."

_N-O-D-R-E-A-M_

"...Will you stay with me? The sun will be setting soon. We can watch the stars together."

_Yes._

She leaned back against a tree, dipping her feet into the water in front of her.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon. I love you, Robin."

_L-O-V-E-Y-U-T_

She chuckled, realizing he couldn't finish the message.

"I'm sorry! I should have gotten more blocks!"

She reset the blocks and laid back down, feeling a warm summer evening breeze cross her face.

"It's funny." she said, taking her engagement ring and twirling it between her fingers. "I was... I was beginning to lose hope I'd ever see you again. I thought this ring might just end up being a nice piece of jewelry, nothing more. But then... For the past hour, I've found myself thinking of our wedding. ...It's so close, Robin. ...So here's the plan: we meet up in Duma on the sixth at noon, in front of the town hall. Does that all sound alright?"

_G-R-E-Y-C-L-I-F_

"...Greycliff? That's... That's a city, isn't it?"

_Yes._

"Okay... So... We'll meet there instead?"

_Yes._

She took out her map and spread it out on the ground again, then traced her fingers to Greycliff.

"It's um... A bit farther for you, but that should still work out. Everything else can stay the same? Town hall at noon on the sixth?"

_Yes._

"Perfect."

She once again laid down on the ground, closed her eyes, and smiled. "Soon, Robin."

* * *

"So how'd it go?" asked Tiki.

"She's alright! I managed to use some wind magic to communicate with her. We'll be meeting in Greycliff on the sixth."

"Greycliff, huh?" she remarked. "It's a beautiful city."

He smiled. "Good, that's what I was hoping for. Every time we've stopped in a town, I'd ask around for the most romantic city the people had ever been to. Greycliff came up once or twice."

"Well, I'm sure Lucina will love it."

"Say, Tiki... Would you mind doing us one more favor?"

"Not at all."

"How quickly can you make it to Ylisstol?"

"Oh..." she thought for a moment. "It's perhaps a two day journey from here. For me, anyway..."

"Would you mind terribly delivering a message for me, then? I feel like Lucina's family should be kept informed of the situation."

Tiki narrowed her eyes at Robin. "...You want me to be your carrier pigeon?"

"Not _just_ a carrier pigeon! The world's _fastest_ carrier pigeon!" he teased.

Tiki laughed at him. "You'd not be asking this of me if it were just a simple message to inform Chrom that she'd been located."

"You're right." he admitted sarcastically. "I was actually going to send Chrom a ransom note. You've foiled my diabolical scheme to take over Ylisse!"

The divine dragon merely grinned in response. "Well, I will deliver your ransom note in exchange for rule over half of Ylisse. Do we have a deal?"

"The northern half. I'm much fonder of the south."

"Oh, fine." she sighed. "We can work out the details later."

"Great!" he said, laughing. "Where's Morgan? I'd like to tell her that I've found Lucina."

"She's asleep. Shall I go get her?"

"...Well, first, I have a few questions for you."

"Go for it."

"...When you said that I no longer had power like you..."

"Grima is gone completely." she responded. "I see no possible way he can ever return in this world."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods... The other day, I exhausted my magic completely. Morgan explained that I no longer had access to Grima's power like in the war."

"She's right. You're likely still among the most powerful human mages alive, but you can't pull off nearly what you could during the war."

The young tactician started laughing. "But see, that's just it! The most powerful 'human' mages! I'm human now! I don't have to deal with being a god, or a vessel of a god, or whatever I was ever again! I was _relieved_ when Morgan told me that!"

"I can see the appeal in that." she said. "It's something I've thought about at times as well. To be human..."

"Um... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize, Robin. It's only a passing fancy. Nothing I _actively_ wish for, more something I muse on a bit. Wondering what it would be like..."

"...Right..."

"My power and my longevity are both a blessing and a curse. I will outlive you, Robin. Just as I've outlived almost everyone I've ever known or cared about."

_"...Almost?" _he asked in confusion.

"My friend Bantu, from Marth's time, still lives. I don't get to see him very often, but every now and then we cross paths. He is somewhat like a father to me."

"Another Manakete, then?"

She nodded.

"And Nah and Nowi... Both are still so young. I imagine the three of us will be friends for a long time yet."

"I see..."

"But there are very few Manaketes left. And most of those whom I have loved have been humans. One day, Robin, you'll pass me by. Then Morgan will, then her children, and her children's children, and I'll look exactly the same as you see me today... Honestly, it's lonely. Despite that, I'm glad. Because when I tell you about Marth, I keep him alive, in some small way. And some day, I'll tell your descendants about you. Human lives go by so quickly, but I'm glad to be a part of them. Do you understand?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah... It's a bit surreal to think that people thousands of years from now will still be talking about me... I mean, someone I know, even!"

"Robin, you rid the world of Grima. Even _without_ me telling the tale, I doubt your legend shall ever die."

He sighed and turned away from her. "...You think I did the right thing, then?"

"I know first hand the pain of losing someone you love. I know what Lucina and Morgan went through. But I also know what you saved millions of others from in the future."

He nodded. "...Thanks, Tiki."

"There _is,_ however, something you need to seek Lucina and Morgan's forgiveness for. You left them without an explanation. No letter, no final speech... You didn't even tell them definitively what you were going to do beforehand."

That stung him. But only because it was true, and only because she was right. They _did _deserve an explanation.

"...I was... I... Hadn't _completely_ decided to kill Grima until just before that last battle..."

"No excuses, Robin."

He sighed. "...You're right, Tiki. You're right. That was unforgivable, but by the gods, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to them."

"The gods have seen fit to give you a chance to apologize. But Lucina will never confront you about it. She tends to take all of her emotional burdens on herself. And Morgan thinks too highly of you to ever bring it up. So _you_ will need to be the one to start the conversation."

He nodded and sighed again. "...I... I told them I wouldn't do it... What kind of man am I? ...What kind of man keeps something like that from the people he loves?"

Tiki placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

"...You're only human, Robin."

* * *

**A/N: Not too much to say today. These past couple of weeks have been SUPER busy for me.**

**To Zallow: See, I love Inigo with Noire. Those supports are BEAUTIFUL. "****Blood and thunder, mortal! My emotions are not to be trifled with! NOW FLIRT WITH ME!" What part of that is not amazing?**

**I also really like Inigo/Morgan... I just like Inigo in general. All of his pairings except Nah are pretty great.**

**To everyone else... Thank you so much! As you can see, we're closing in on the end here, but don't worry! I've still got at least four more chapters, and then my plan is to do an epilogue and a sequel. See you all soon!**


	13. Paralogue 3: Words Left Unsaid

**One year, three months ago, the base of Mount Prism**

There was a deadly silence ringing throughout the camp. Chrom had just performed the Awakening ritual, and everyone knew the final battle was drawing closer.

Lucina sat in her tent pouring through old theological texts about Grima and Naga, trying to find some weakness in him. Her encounters with Robin recently had been few and far between, as he was busy devising battle strategies. Both were wrapped up heavily in their own research. So she was mildly surprised when Robin had come to visit her.

"Hello, princess. How goes your research?"

"Robin! It um... It's going..."

"...That sounds... Promising..." he said, clearly trying and failing to keep his spirits up about this.

She sighed and closed the book she'd been pouring through.

"Grima is not immortal. He can die. In fact he _will _die, eventually."

"But."

"_But _he's been doing everything in his power to prevent it. That's his whole purpose. To seek his own immortality."

"I see."

"You would need millions of soldiers, constantly hacking at him with wyrmslayers for years to put even a _dent_ in him. Some sort of power greater than this world has ever seen..."

"...Or his own."

"...Yeah." she said dejectedly, knowing exactly what Robin was implying. "You've not found anything else in your research?"

Robin shook his head. "Everything I've seen says the same as what you've come up with. Death is nearly impossible except by Grima's own hand. ...And today, Naga confirmed that."

"...I've found this. A dark magic ritual." Lucina said, handing him a notebook. "It separates the soul from the body. If you could target it to remove only Grima's soul... Could it work?"

Robin flipped through the papers, scrutinizing every small detail. Finally, he spoke up. "Lucina, this is some of the darkest magic I've ever seen. A ritual like this should never have seen the light of day."

"...But could it work?"

"I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. It's too dangerous of a spell to ever be used. I can't ask Henry, or Tharja, or, gods forbid, _Morgan,_ to risk their lives for mine. And I can't cast it on myself; it doesn't work that way."

"...You could teach me. I don't care about the risks, I'll study all day and night, just-"

"No. Never." he interrupted. "I won't have you risking your life for me. Besides... Magic ability is something you're either born with or not, and I don't think you have _any_ dark magic ability whatsoever. Even if we _did_ get it to work, Grima could _probably_ interfere with it. And that could make our situation even _worse._ ...There's simply no way to kill Grima besides what Naga suggested."

"...But we _can_ put him to sleep... My father has performed the Awakening. Grima can be sent to sleep for a thousand years. And maybe by then-"

"_Maybe. _But maybe not."

"...Are you truly so eager to die?"

"I don't have a choice! What's one life compared to millions?"

"We can find a way! There's got to be some other way! We can spend the rest of our lives looking for a way to kill Grima, permanently! Just, please, Robin... Let my father put him to sleep. The world will have a thousand years to develop new magic. He's _mortal._ You don't need to die."

The tactician responded by embracing his fiancee as they both began to cry lightly into each others arms. "...Alright. You're right. We'll find a way."

He honestly didn't know whether he was lying or not. He simply couldn't stand to see her cry, and if it made her feel better, he'd say anything.

* * *

**One month later**

The Shepherds stood on the back of their worst enemy. Grima was enormous, and had been gracious enough to host the final battle himself.

The battle was, as expected, the most difficult one any of them had fought in so far. Vaike was defending his wife and son as Brady frantically cast healing spells on the injured Maribelle. Libra's injury had sent Noire into full on "BLOOD AND THUNDER" mode. The monk, leaning on Tharja for support, watched in awe as his daughter cackled and let arrow after arrow fly through the heads of the Risen. Owain and Lon'qu stood back to back, father and son, moving in perfect sync to slaughter the monsters storming them. Cynthia was flying back and forth, bringing the injured to Lissa to treat. Nah held a wounded human form Nowi in her tail as she breathed death upon the Risen below her. Gangrel was, to Chrom's dismay, completely fine as he cut down Risen.

"Thank the gods I lent Nidhogg to Noire." remarked Lucina. "She'd put Prince Innes to shame!"

"Mom! Watch out!" called Morgan, tossing a fireball at a Risen Lucina had missed.

"You have my gratitude, milady."

"Ugh... Mom, we talked about this."

Lucina winced. She'd been making an effort to be less aloof toward Morgan, but old habits died hard. Three months, and she still occasionally slipped up and called her daughter "milady."

Truth be told, she was having a rather hard time adjusting to the idea of being a mother. She loved Morgan dearly, but until recently, she'd never even considered the possibility of a life _after_ stopping Grima. The prospect both excited and frightened her.

"...I thank you, Morgan." the princess said, giving the girl a small smile.

"Okay, you could still stand to go a _little_ less formal, but better!"

"Morgan..." she said, stabbing another Risen. "Is now _really _the time to do this?"

"Always time!" the girl cheered. "Listen. We-"

"Get _back!"_

Lucina jumped behind Morgan and cut the Risen sneaking up on her in half.

"You _cannot_ afford to lose focus, even for a second."

"Nngh... Right. Do you see any more?" the young mage asked as she prepared another spell.

"...No. I think we've cleared the area."

"Good."

"Status report, Morgan."

"Let's see..." she placed a hand above her eyes to shield the sun. "Owain and Lon'qu have cleared their area. Gerome's injured; don't worry, Lissa's got it. Cherche and Cordelia are falling a _bit _behind dad's predictions, but Inigo's cleared his area and is filling in for Gerome, despite his inability to fly. Panne and Yarne are... Panne and Yarne-ing. Yarne's limping a bit; I think he was hit. Noire _is_ blood and thunder; she's still ruining anyone stupid enough to go near her parents. Might wanna just... Leave her alone for now. Aunt Cynthia is currently flying Basilio back to Lissa. Henry is... _Frowning. _He's... He's _upset... HENRY. ..._Olivia _must_ have been hurt, but... I don't see her... We've... We've been better mom, but we'll win this."

"...Alright. Where's your father?"

"Over there. Flirting with Say'ri."

_"W-WHAT!?"_

Morgan started laughing. "Ah, mom! Can't believe you fell for that!"

"Morgan! Now is _not_ the time!" she scolded.

"Oh, fine... Frederick is bringing Severa back to Lissa, and dad's covering their escape. Let's see... Gregor is- WOAH WOAH _WOAH! _Grandpa is _going_ for it!"

_"NOW!?"_

"He's got Sumia to cover him. They have a clear path to Grima! They're gonna kill him!"

Lucina breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards the front of the dragon to see her parents charging towards Grima's human form. Until suddenly...

"Argh!"

Chrom fell to the wayside, pierced by some of Grima's dark magic. Sumia and her pegasus swooped in, saving him before he fell off the dragon. Unfortunately, they were still being pursued relentlessly by Risen.

"Will you be alright here, Morgan?" Lucina instantly asked.

"Yeah, I- Wait, mom, what are you gonna do!?"

Lucina pulled her daughter close and planted a kiss on her forehead. She then pressed the younger girl against her body protectively.

"I love you, Morgan. Be safe."

"Mom, _don't!_ Your sword can't kill him!"

"I know. But Grima's not gonna sit around waiting for my father to recover, is he?"

"...Just... Come back in one piece, okay?"

"Of course."

Lucina embraced Morgan once more, then charged to the front of the dragon, slaying every Risen in her way.

"Lucina!" called Sumia. "Stand _back!"_

"Catch!" she shouted, tossing her mother an elixir. She kept running forward, toward the fell dragon. She grinned as Grima's Risen fell off Sumia's tail and started chasing her instead.

In retrospect, it probably wasn't the soundest strategy. Lon'qu and Owain were closer, and would have been able to back each other up. She could have even yelled for Virion to join them. However, her desire for revenge had taken over. She couldn't deny that she desperately wanted an opportunity to stab Grima personally.

She fought with an amazing ferocity. No Risen could stand against her onslaught, and before long, she'd made it to the fell dragon himself.

Her greatest enemy, the one who'd ruined her future, killed her parents, and slaughtered millions, stood only a few feet in front of her.

She leaped forward, stabbing Falchion through Grima's chest. The _bastard_ who wore Robin's skin.

Then, something she wasn't expecting happened. The way he reacted... A look of shock and pain crossed his face. It... It was all over! It had to be!

...Then, a smile. A laugh.

"FOOL! YOU THOUGHT THAT WOULD KILL ME?"

He reached down and pulled her Falchion from his chest. A gaping purple hole was there in its place. His magic filled it in, and he was quickly healed.

"...No..."

He tore the sword from her grip.

"Wouldn't it be ironic? Killed with your own blade... It's a shame Falchion won't work for me."

He tossed the sword to his side like trash, and pulled a bronze sword from his robe.

"Do you recognize this sword?" he asked. "It's the one they found him with."

Lucina jumped toward her Falchion, until Grima held a hand in front of him, stopping her in place with his magic.

"It's almost _worthless_ as a weapon. It's dull, too heavy to use properly... But perhaps, if I put _just_ enough force into it..."

He thrust his blade into her chest, knocking her to the ground and leaving an enormous gash, though deliberately not killing her. Not yet, at least.

Lucina barely remained conscious as Grima knelt next to her.

"Do you want to know what your father's last words were? As the man you love killed him?" he asked, a smug smile creeping across his face.

"GET THE _HELL_ AWAY FROM HER!" a voice shouted from behind them.

The fell dragon's human form wretched back, struck by a bolt of Thoron. He stood and turned around to face Robin, hand sparking with electricity.

"Good guess." Grima spat. "But no, his last words were actually 'Robin! How could you!?'"

Grima shot a spear of his own dark magic at Robin, who blocked it with his hand. He answered this with another bolt of Thoron. Grima simply teleported himself away. Suddenly, Robin felt his counterpart's presence directly behind him.

_"Pathetic." _he heard the beast whisper. Robin rolled to the ground just in time to avoid Grima's blade.

"Worthless human!" Grima shouted. "Surrender!"

"Human." Robin repeated. He started floating above the dragon's back, lightning storming down from above, fireballs shooting and striking down Risen left and right.

"You have no_ idea_ how badly I want to be human... To live a _normal_ life..."

His voice barely rose above a whisper as his fists clenched together and started shaking.

He flew forwards towards Grima, tossing bolts of Thoron as he moved. Grima answered these with his own spears of dark magic.

It would have been an amazing sight, to an outside observer. Two of the world's most powerful magic users firing everything they had at each other. Lightning, fire, wind, and dark magic traveled in equal measure between the two. Dark magic flew with reckless abandon, while the other types of magic were all concentrated on a single being.

Robin looked below him to see his allies barely dodging the magic thrown about. _Okay... It'll have to be swords, then._

Eventually, Robin caught up to the dragon's human form and pulled out a blade. The two began dueling, Grima's bronze sword against Robin's levin.

* * *

Meanwhile, Morgan ran towards her injured mother. She knelt beside her and examined the wound.

_Damn! If only I knew healing magic! Think, Morgan, think..._

Morgan did have an elixir, but she couldn't force an unconscious woman to drink it. Then, she noticed her mother's Falchion on the ground not too far away.

_Mom uses it to heal herself sometimes, doesn't she? If I can just..._

The young tactician darted towards the blade, grabbed it, and ran back to hold it above Lucina. To Morgan's surprise, merely by willing it to happen, a blue glow covered the sword, and the blood flow from Lucina's chest slowed to a halt. No incantations or additional effort necessary.

Morgan smiled to herself. _Divine magic is fantastic! Thank Naga... Literally._

She knelt back down and examined the wound again. It was still open, but blood no longer flowed from it. Morgan had seen many battlefield injuries in the past, and she recognized that this _could_ have been fatal. Luckily, Falchion's magic would be enough keep her alive for a while. At least until the battle was over and she could be _properly_ treated.

_Sorry, mom. Best I can do under the circumstances._

Standing up, she barely had time to react before blocking a blow from a Risen's axe. Morgan used a bit of wind magic to knock the creature off its balance, then beheaded it with Falchion.

_...Wait... Did I just kill that guy with Falchion!?_

"...I suppose that means I'm one of your chosen, huh, Falchy?" she muttered. "Heh, Owain and Cynthia are gonna be _so _jealous! Alright... Don't let us down!"

Just as the tactician had expected, it was a perfect weapon. The weight was balanced exactly as it should be, and it was sharp enough to cut through Risen with little to no effort. It felt less like a sword and more like an extension of Morgan's own arm.

Which was good, because while Morgan had been treating Lucina, the duo ended up surrounded by Risen on all sides.

She cast a quick fire spell behind her, creating a wall of flames to cover her back. Then, with her mother's sword in hand, she charged toward the horde in front of her.

* * *

"You know something, Robin." said Grima. "You _will_ give in eventually. You know how I know?"

He began speaking in a voice identical to Robin's, losing the otherworldly echo he was so fond of.

"Because you already have."

Robin sent electricity coursing through his sword and continued to strike it against Grima's blade. With his left hand, he tossed random spells at Grima, which the god blocked with his own magic.

"Not this time, Grima." Robin said between blows. "Lucina gave me a second chance, and I'll be _damned_ if I let you take it from me!"

"Once we're reunited, I think I'll kill Chrom first." Grima continued, not breaking a sweat. "Lucina's already injured, I suppose I'll just let her bleed to death... _That'll _be painful. Serves her right, all the trouble she's caused me. That daughter of yours... Morgan. Daddy's little angel, huh?" He started laughing. "She'll listen to_ anything_ you say. I think I'll make her lead the world's most powerful army of Risen. It'll be _wonderful!"_

Grima darted backwards away from Robin and held his bronze sword in the air. "This sword was the last gift your mother gave you, you know."

Robin charged forward, knocked Grima's sword from his hand, and pointed his own blade at Grima's throat.

"Do it." spat the fell dragon. "I _dare_ you. You'll cease to exist. You- GAH!"

A blade suddenly stabbed through Grima from behind, stopping just short of going through Robin as well. The blade was silver, with a distinctive golden groove down the middle.

"I come to end you, Grima!" shouted the prince of Ylisse from behind the dragon's human form. Sumia rode above the two, having just dropped her husband off to assist. Grima teleported away, for the first time, showing _genuine_ pain and anger. His human form held a large wound from where Falchion had struck, and no amount of magic could heal it.

"ARROGANT MORTAL!" he shouted at Chrom. "I _AM_ THE END!"

Grima summoned spears of dark magic from the dragon's back, with Chrom only barely dodging them. Sumia jumped off her pegasus, landing behind Grima and stabbing him with her own lance. It wouldn't do much but distract, and she knew that, but she continued fighting. Chrom and Sumia struck blow after blow at Grima, with Chrom managing to hit him with Falchion a few times. The more he was hit, the more exhausted he became, until finally, Sumia managed to knock him on the ground. She placed her foot on the now weakened god's throat.

Chrom pointed Falchion at Grima's chest. "Any last- AH!"

Ylisse's prince found himself blown off his feet by a gust of weak wind magic. Sumia looked up to see her tactician, apparently having betrayed her husband.

Then he pulled a new tome from his robe.

Sumia had little magical ability, and differentiating between tomes was difficult for her. But she knew a dark magic tome when she saw one. And she knew that symbol on the back of it. It looked like a horseshoe with six eyes around the edges; the same symbol that covered Robin and Morgan's right hands.

The Mark of Grima.

And, of course, Grima could only be destroyed by his own power. Now it all made sense.

Robin looked into Sumia's eyes, as if wordlessly asking her permission. He knew Chrom wouldn't approve, Lucina wouldn't approve, and Morgan wouldn't approve, but _dammit,_ if just _some_ member of the royal family would tell him he could go ahead...

Sumia nodded at her friend.

"...Tell Lucina and Morgan that I'm sorry. That I love them." said Robin.

Tears streamed down the young man's cheeks, as his mouth contorted into possibly the saddest smile Sumia had ever seen. The pegasus knight backed away from Grima, leaving him to Robin.

Their conversation a few days ago flooded back into Sumia's mind.

* * *

_"You know... Morgan is really fond of you. She adores you."_

_"I think she's closer to you than anyone else here, actually."_

* * *

"NO!" shouted Grima. "...WHAT... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"For once, I'm glad you and I are the same. Now I can give my life to protect those I care for..."

* * *

_"Hah, I suppose you're right... Be that as it may, I'm glad she has a grandmother like you."_

_"I love her, Robin, I really do."_

_"Good. Because there's gonna be things in her life she can't talk to me or Lucina about, for one reason or another."_

_"Yeah? Like what? You two are inseparable!"_

* * *

"...YOU WOULD...NOT DARE!_"_

"I would and I will." Robin said calmly. "The evils you would visit on this world are unthinkable... In some way, I-we share the blame. It's only right we meet our end together!"

* * *

_"Well... For example, no teenage girl is gonna want to tell her dad about her crushes... Stuff like that, I suppose."_

_"Heh, I guess you're right..."_

_"The point is, Sumia, I'm just glad there's someone else who loves Morgan as much as Lucina and I do. ...Who can be there for her when I can't."_

_"Of course! She's my granddaughter; I'd lay down my life for her, the same as my own daughters!"_

* * *

Robin called on Grima's own magic to finally slay the god, stabbing him with an enormous violet spear. The Risen immediately collapsed, dead where they stood, and pieces of Grima's and Robin's bodies began vanishing before the eyes of the Shepherds.

* * *

_"As would I, Sumia. For her and Lucina... I'd give anything."_

* * *

"Come on, then! Who else wants a piece of me!?" called Morgan as she sent Falchion flying through yet another Risen. "I'll take all of you down, I-Huh?"

The Risen simply stopped in their tracks and fell to the ground. Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. "...It's over, isn't it?"

She knelt down next to Lucina. "You alright?"

No response. But Morgan checked her pulse and was relieved to find that it was still beating.

"Okay, just hang on, mom. I'm gonna go get dad. We'll get you to a healer."

She stood and looked around. "...Now... Where _is-_ Oh no. No no no no no no dear gods no please no."

She saw her father, fading from existence, and she saw Grima across from him, with a spear of violet magic through him.

"FATHER!" she yelled and sprinted toward him.

At this point, neither Grima nor Robin could move from where they stood.

Robin gave his daughter an apologetic smile. "Morgan... I'm so sorry."

"F-father!" She wrapped her arms around Robin and cried, even as he began to fade from existence.

"Remember what Naga said? If our bonds were strong enough, I could come back. But... Even if I don't... Don't cry for me, alright? Be strong. I needed to do this."

"But... Dad-"

"Please... Right now, you have to help your mother. She's hurt. Leave me. I love you, Morgan. ...Goodbye."

"I-I can't l-let you die! I c-can't leave you!"

He shook his head.

"...It's too late for me. Help your mother. Get her to a healer."

"...I-I..."

She cut herself off. She nodded at him, understandingly, then, with tears in her eyes, bolted back over to Lucina's side. She scooped Lucina up in her arms and started carrying her to the nearest healer.

Suddenly, Robin saw beams of green light surround his comrades. It was Naga's magic, sending them off the fell dragon as it crashed to the ground.

"...Curse you, Robin... I'll make you pay for this! With everything I have left! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" Grima groaned out in pain.

Robin didn't respond. He simply watched Grima fade, knowing that, despite the costs, they'd won. At long last, they'd won.

* * *

Naga had sent the Shepherds, along with their entire encampment, to a field just a few hours outside of Ylisstol. Despite ultimately having accomplished their goal, ended the war, and ushered in peace, none of the Shepherds felt much like celebrating. Not only had they lost a dear friend, but far too many of their comrades ended up in bandages. A strange air of bittersweet melancholy fell over the Shepherds, far more bitter than sweet for those closest to Robin.

Sumia and Morgan sat outside of Lucina's medical tent. Morgan was resting on Sumia's shoulder, her eyes closed, but still not asleep, with her grandmother's arms holding her tightly. She was wearing one of Sumia's dresses underneath her cloak, since her battle robes were covered in blood from carrying Lucina back. Sumia's eyes were a bloodshot red from tears. Morgan had, however, surprisingly, not cried nearly as much as the pegasus knight was expecting. Her reaction had been more shock than anything else.

Lucina's injury was major, but Brady had assured them that he got to it in time to save her.

As the day went on, people from around the camp stopped by to give their condolences to Morgan for the loss of her father and ask about Lucina's condition. At least, those who weren't injured or busy healing people did. Morgan politely thanked them and told them about Lucina's injury, but it soon became obvious to Sumia that her granddaughter was overwhelmed and exhausted. After Frederick's visit, Sumia quietly asked the knight to keep any further visitors away. It wasn't that Morgan didn't appreciate them, it was simply that she was still struggling with the reality of the day's events.

Owain had actually been the only family member to visit them. Cynthia had two broken legs, Emmeryn had been left back at Ylisstol, Lissa was focused on healing, Lon'qu had been made into her nurse, and Chrom, once the adrenaline wore off, was dealing with the after effects of Grima's dark magic. Still, from what Frederick said, Lissa had to forcibly restrain Chrom from worsening his injuries by shrugging them off and visiting Lucina, Sumia, and Morgan.

The two must have gone hours in complete silence, before Morgan finally piped up. "...Grandma Sumia? When Grandpa thought Emmeryn had died, how did he deal with it?"

"...Not very well..." she said frankly. "First, he just got angry. He wanted revenge. ...Do you know about the battle of the Midmire?"

Morgan nodded.

"If I know you..." Sumia said. "You're going over the whole situation in your head right now. You're trying to think of a way you could have saved your parents. Am I right?"

Morgan sniffed and nodded again, and Sumia brought her closer.

"Robin did the same thing after the first war with Plegia. For _days,_ he sat in his office going over the battle where we lost Emmeryn, trying to find a way he could have saved her."

"Did he- did he come up with anything?"

"...Yes." she sighed. "He came up with several plans that would have saved Emmeryn. But they all involved sacrificing at least one other person. ...Himself, in most cases."

"...Emmeryn would never stand for that. Spending someone else's life for her own..."

"And neither would your father."

Sumia had figured out Morgan's entire thought process. She'd noticed Morgan darting her eyes to her right hand, the Mark of Grima having finally faded from its back. Morgan was wondering whether _she_ could have killed Grima and taken Robin's place.

"As for your mother, if you hadn't thought to use Falchion to heal her, things would be much worse. You did all you could, Morgan."

"I... Didn't say goodbye... Didn't tell him that I loved him..."

"...We'll find him, Morgan. I _know_ it." said Sumia, rocking Morgan back and forth gently.

"I love you, grandma."

"My poor, sweet girl... I love you too."

A short while later, Brady walked out of the tent.

"How is she?" asked Morgan.

"She'll carry a scar across her chest for the rest of her life, but she'll recover all the way." said the young priest. "We're, uh... We're lucky."

Brady instantly winced and silently cursed himself. "Lucky" was _not_ the right word to be using with a girl who'd just lost her father and nearly lost her mother.

Brady's sleeves had been stained in blood, from dressing Lucina's wound. After hours of surgery and healing magic to save the princess, the blonde had bags under his eyes and looked ready to collapse. His eyes were as red as Sumia's, but it was impossible to tell whether that was from tears or exhaustion. Knowing Brady, it was probably from both.

"...I won't lie to ya. If that cut had been an inch deeper, we'd 'a lost her. But she'll be okay."

Sumia smiled back at him, a bittersweet half smile. "...Thank you so much, Brady."

"It's my job. No need for thanks."

"Can I go see her?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. Be careful though. She's lost a lotta blood. Don't touch her, ya might mess with the stitches. ...I mean, you can, uh... Hold her hand, if ya want. Just don't bump her chest. And uh... If she wakes up, don't do anything to shock 'er."

Morgan nodded and walked into the tent to see her mother wrapped in medical bandages, lying on a cot. To her left was Falchion, and another cot was set up across from the swordswoman, empty. Sumia followed shortly behind.

Morgan sat down next to Lucina and grabbed her hand. The older girl was unconscious, but still breathing gently. Morgan said nothing. She simply watched Lucina's chest rise and fall, to make sure it still would. It was her assurance that at least her mother was okay.

Soon, the tent flap opened and Brady walked in.

"I promise, she'll be alright."

"How long until she's all healed?"

"Only 'bout a week. Her injuries are serious, don't get me wrong, but we've got some powerful healing spells. It's all physical damage, nothin' magical. Easy to fix."

She nodded at him again and turned her attention back to the cot.

"...Listen, Morg. If ya need me, ya know, for anything, I'll be just outside this tent. ...I'm um... I'm sorry about your old man."

The tactician said nothing in return.

"That... That other cot's yours."

The young girl finally spoke up, using a strangely unaffected tone. As if she was still taking the day's events in. "Shouldn't you be with your mother? She was injured too, right?"

"...Ma's wounds ain't too bad. Lissa's taking care of her. They both know I got a job to do, and uh... Out of everyone, your ma got the worst of it. So someone needs to stay nearby, ya know... In case..."

"In case she gets worse."

"...Yeah."

"Take that cot, then. I can sleep on the ground. You're exhausted."

"Don't worry about me. I'm used to sleeping on the ground. Bad future, 'n all. 'Sides... With all you've gone through today..."

"I don't need sympathy as much as I need a healer who isn't too tired to work when mom needs him."

"...Right."

"I'll just... Go get another cot." Sumia added awkwardly, slipping out to go to the supply tent.

There was no arguing with Morgan at this point. Brady silently washed the blood of the day's surgeries from his hands and dragged the cot outside. There simply wasn't enough room for all of them inside. He'd fallen asleep within a few minutes.

Morgan remained at her mother's side, before finally speaking up. She figured that maybe, even if no one was around to listen, talking about it would help.

"Hey, mom... We uh... We won. We beat Grima. ...Actually, that's not true. _Dad_ did. Dad killed Grima. He's gone now, though... He... He died.

...

...Dad died today."

Morgan laid down and closed her eyes, still gripping Lucina's hand from her spot on the floor.

"...And you... You almost died. But I'm not gonna cry. He told me not to. He told me to be strong.

...

I don't wanna be strong, though. I want you and dad to hold me. ...I wanna cry. But I can't have that. You can't hold me. You can't even move. And dad... Even if Naga was right, and he can come back, he could be anywhere. He's not here, though... With us. So he can't hold me either. And I dunno if he ever will again. So... So I can't cry. Not until you can. We... We'll mourn him together.

...

Get up soon, mom. I want to cry."

* * *

"Nngh... Oooohhh... Hurts..."

Hearing this, Morgan shot up off the floor and started staring at her mother, still holding her hand.

Lucina groaned and weakly opened her eyes, looking at the hooded figure across from her. Her vision was still blurry, but she recognized a pair of dark brown eyes and a certain black cloak.

"...Robin..." she sighed happily, closing her eyes again.

Morgan started to cry. Brady had told her that Lucina might be a bit delirious on waking up, but _this..._

"...Morgan's okay...?"

Morgan pulled her hood further over her face and gave Lucina a thumbs up with her free hand. Lucina opened her eyes briefly to see it, and then closed them again.

"...Good..." she smiled. "It's all... Over..."

She gasped for air and coughed, spilling a bit of blood onto her chin. Another symptom. Punctured lung. She ran her fingers gently over Morgan's hand.

"...How's ever... Everyone else?"

Morgan, still unable to tell her about Robin, traced "OK" on the back of Lucina's hand.

"...Okay, huh? ...Good..."

_"...How_ am I gonna tell you...?" Morgan muttered without thinking.

"Morgan? You're here... Too?"

"I uh... Yeah, mom. I am."

Lucina smiled. "I'm glad you... Came... I'm alright, just... Hard to talk..."

_For both of us, mom..._

"Grima's gone. The healers said you need to get some sleep. You were stabbed in the chest. You'll be alright. Your lung was cut and your heart was almost hit. You've lost a lot of blood. But you'll be okay, you just have to take it easy. Don't exert yourself."

Lucina nodded and squeezed Morgan's hand tighter. "Okay... Love you both..."

"...We love you too..."

* * *

**One week later**

Lucina opened her eyes. She saw the roof of a tent. Given the pain coursing through her body, it was the medical tent.

_...The medical tent. Right, Morgan and Robin were here the other day... I was... I was stabbed, she said..._

"How are you feeling?" asked a gentle voice from across the tent.

"...Tiki? Is that you?"

"Yes. Do you know where you are?"

"The... The medical tent." she responded. "I... I remember the last battle..."

The memory of plunging her blade through Grima remained vivid in her head.

"...Oh, _gods,_ I must have caused you all so much worry..."

"We're just glad you're okay."

"Poor Robin must be beside himself..."

Tiki's ears perked up at this, and she slowly knelt down next to her friend. She took Lucina's hand in hers and said her name.

Lucina looked into Tiki's eyes. The dragon's pitiful, apologetic face told her all she needed to know.

"He... He's okay." Lucina muttered. "He told me... He said he... He _wouldn't..."_

"I'm so sorry..." Tiki whispered as she shook her head. "...He killed Grima."

Lucina closed her eyes and shook her head. "...Dammit... Gods _damn_ it all..."

The princess drew her hand back and covered her eyes, choking back sobs. Hearing this, Morgan charged in, as even during the brief periods of time she _wasn't _in Lucina's tent in the past week, she remained within earshot.

Morgan had been trying valiantly to honor her father's last wish, with varying degrees of success. She'd tried not to cry, to be strong for him, but the second she saw her mother's tears, that all washed away. She dashed to Lucina's bedside and wrapped her arms around her. No words were necessary. A week's worth of repressed tears fell from Morgan's eyes.

Lucina returned her daughter's grip, biting back her own physical pain. She buried her face in Morgan's shoulder as the younger girl mumbled incoherent apologies.

Lucina found herself examining Morgan's cloak. It _was,_ in fact, Robin's original cloak, plus about fifteen to twenty additional years of wear. The tears and stitches were in the same spots, and the patterns were identical.

The one thing Morgan's cloak was missing, Lucina noted, was Robin's smell.

She shot her eyes to the door of her tent, a part of her expecting to see Robin walk in. To realize this was all some disgusting joke, a mistake, a dream... _Anything._

That night, and every night thereafter until she left, Lucina slept in Robin's bed, alone.

* * *

**Three weeks later**

"Lucina, talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about." declared the young swordswoman as she cut yet another training dummy in half, then clutched her chest momentarily in pain. "There are casualties in war. To assume Robin would not be among them was naive. Do we have any more training dummies?"

"Forget the damn training dummies! You've been at this all day!" Sumia shouted. "You're pushing your family away!"

Lucina sighed, sheathed Falchion, and started walking toward the supply room for the training grounds.

_"Talk_ to me. I am _here_ for you!"

Lucina ignored her mother and began loading training dummies into a wheelbarrow. Sumia stood in front of the door as Lucina turned toward the exit.

"Lucina, you are _not _okay and you are _not _leaving this room until you and I speak!"

"I suppose I could train in here, then..."

_"Lucina!"_

She let her wheelbarrow fall to the ground. "What do you want me to say!?"

"I want you to tell me how you feel! I want you to talk to me! Cry on my shoulder, if you have to! But don't push away the people who love you!"

Lucina sighed, then dropped to the ground and rubbed her temples. "...I threatened to kill him. During the war. Did you know that!?"

Sumia sat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, until Lucina shrugged it off.

"When I found out he was under Validar's control, I put my sword to his chest and told him I would take his life. And do you know what he said?"

Sumia shook her head.

"...He offered it freely. And so I... I broke down. I couldn't do it." she said, blinking back tears. "I-I promised him that I'd... I'd find a way to kill Grima _and _keep him alive. But gods, I couldn't even do _that!_ I _failed_ him, mother!"

"Lucina..."

"So... So thanks to my incompetence, a great man, the man I love, is _dead,_ and my daughter is going to grow up without a father... "

"...If you must blame someone for his death, blame me."

"...Why on _Earth_ would I blame you?"

"...Because I could have stopped him. I had Grima trapped under my foot, and I stepped back to let Robin kill him."

Lucina glared at Sumia and shook her head. Then, she let herself fall into Sumia's shoulder. "I-I can't be mad at you... Part of me knows it was... It was the rational choice, but I just feel so _guilty..."_

Sumia patted her back as light tears fell from her daughter's eyes. Following Robin's death, Sumia had become something of the emotional rock for her family. Chrom and Lucina were both too stubborn to admit when they needed help, and Morgan had probably been hit the hardest. It ended up falling on Ylisse's queen to be the royal family's shoulder to cry on. Literally, more often than not.

Each of Robin's loved ones had dealt with his death in a different way. To say Morgan was hurt would be the understatement of the century. She'd begun spending most of her time reading through her father's library in her room, occasionally confiding in Chrom and Lucina, but especially in Sumia.

Chrom had been saddled with rebuilding his country the second Grima had died, and had been trying his hardest to maintain a tough appearance about things. However, he _would_ sob when he was alone with Sumia. He'd considered Robin as something like a younger brother. Watching another of his siblings sacrifice himself for the greater good, and watching his daughter and granddaughter broken up over it, had been hard, to say the least.

Likewise, Sumia had grown to consider Robin a brother as well. She'd dealt with the loss by growing more compassionate towards her family members, letting them know daily how much she loved them.

Lucina had taken almost the opposite approach from Sumia's. She grew more distant from her family, spending ever more time alone, training with the blade. Her already bad situation was made even worse by the fact that she'd been unconscious when Robin had died. That had only added to her guilt.

"...I've got to make this right..." Lucina whispered.

* * *

Lucina knocked on the heavy double doors separating her daughter's room from the rest of the palace.

"Can I come in?"

"It's unlocked." responded a small, muffled voice.

Lucina pressed her weight against the door, forcing herself inside. She stepped carefully over the stacks of books lying nearly everywhere on the floor. Morgan was lying on her bed, reading, as she usually did. Sumia had made a habit of bringing her granddaughter new books to read daily. It was the only time any of her family saw her smile.

The older princess sat down on the edge of Morgan's bed.

"What are you reading?"

"It's a biography of Lyon's life. I found it in dad's stuff. He was an ancient prince of Grado, in Magvel. They say he was one of the most powerful dark magic users who ever lived. He could do lots of stuff no one else could. Like, for example, he could see the future."

"Is that so?"

Morgan nodded. "Thing is, almost all of his work was burned after his death." she said, somewhat disappointed. "But it's probably for the best... His experiments nearly ended the world."

"That was Ephraim and Eirika who stopped him, right?"

"Yeah. The dark arts aren't inherently _evil, _but they _are _inherently dangerous." she continued, folding a quick dog ear in her book and setting it off to the side. "What's up?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing."

Morgan sat in silence for a moment, before sighing and pulling Lucina into a hug. "...I... I miss him so much, mom..."

"Me too..." whispered Lucina, patting Morgan's back gently.

"...Mom?" Morgan spoke up, wiping tears from her eyes. "What do you suppose it's like?"

There was absolutely no need to clarify what she was talking about.

"...I asked Tharja." Morgan continued. "Sh-she can work as a medium sometimes, you know. She said that once someone dies, they stick around as something like a ghost for a few years, and that's when she can contact them. B-but after that t-they move on to the afterlife, and no one knows what happens."

"...When my father died, back in my time, my mother told me that when good people passed away, they joined the stars, and they would look over us every night."

Lucina's tone indicated this wasn't exactly something she believed herself, as much as she wanted to.

"I tried to get Tharja to contact father." the tactician said. "She couldn't find him in the lands of the living _or _the dead, and she also says there's no way he's reached the afterlife so soon. Her theory is that, thanks to the way he died, he's somewhere on the border of life and death right now. She's never seen anything like it before, though."

Lucina sniffed back a few more tears.

"...Don't worry. ...I'm going to fix this, Morgan."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"If... _When_ he does come back, we have no idea where he'll show up. I'm going on a journey to find him. I swear, it'll all be okay."

"You're leaving?" Morgan's voice wasn't accusatory, nor angry. It was... Sad. Almost pleading.

"...In a week. And only for a little while." responded Lucina. "I'll be back the instant I find him."

"Let me come with you."

"It's dangerous, Morgan. I can't let you get hurt."

"I can fight, mom!"

Lucina stared back at Morgan. Her hair was disheveled, she gave zero attention to her outfit, throwing on whatever rags she had lying around, and she had only occasionally left her room in the past month. She was getting better as time went on, but still, only mildly. The girl who was once the most energetic, lively person Lucina knew had sunk into a deep depression.

"I know you can, sweetheart. You're probably better than me!" Lucina leaned over and wrapped her arms around Morgan. "It'll likely be only a few weeks. Those bonds your father used to talk about... I have faith they'll bring us back together soon enough."

"But... Why can't I come with you?"

_Because I'm afraid I'll fail you like I failed your father. Because I'm no substitute for him and I know it. Because Sumia and Chrom can take better care of you than I can._

"...Because you need to be safe."

Tears started streaming down both girl's cheeks, as they held onto each other for a while. Finally, Lucina broke the silence.

"...Be good, okay? Listen to your grandparents. Can you be strong for me?"

_I can't. Stay with me. Please. I need you. I don't want you to leave me too._

"I can. I'll be okay."

"Good. It's going to be alright, Morgan. I love you."

"Love you too, mom."

* * *

**Two months later**

"I'm leaving, grandfather."

Chrom stared back at Morgan in disbelief.

"...Why?"

"To find my father." she responded with the first hint of confidence she'd displayed in months. She looked well. At least, better than she had been. She'd finally decided to take care of herself, looking more like the girl she was before Robin's death.

"Morgan, there are so many search parties-"

"Have they found him yet?"

Chrom sighed. "No... No they haven't."

"Then it's not good enough. Your search parties can't cover everywhere."

"Morgan, you will stay in-"

"My mother is out there looking for him, and I need to be out there too."

"I know how you feel, believe me. If I didn't have a country to run I'd be out there myself!"

"Then let me go in your place!"

"Dammit, Morgan-"

"I am an adult! I can take care of myself!"

"Anna has all of her sisters looking for him. Tharja has half of Plegia cursed to let her know if he shows up there. Nah and Nowi have been flying around to distant continents. There's no need for you to go too."

Morgan sighed and reached into her cloak, pulling out an old, battered tome.

Chrom didn't know much about magic, but he recognized a teleportation tome when he saw one. The implications were clear.

He shook his head. No, he didn't want her to leave, but Morgan was so headstrong, she'd take off anyway. And none of his guards could stop a powerful mage with a spell like that. Not without hurting her in the process, anyway. Still, if he pretended to approve, maybe he could keep her safe...

"Fine. Fine, if you're so determined to leave..."

He pulled down a map from his shelf and laid it down in front of him. Several large sections of the map were shaded off in different colors.

"...Here." he said, pointing to an uncolored section of the map in Regna Ferox. "You can search for him here. We have no search parties in the area. You can use that town as a base of operations."

Morgan nodded. "Right."

"...Are you okay, Morgan?"

"I'm fine." she lied.

Before he could even respond, she tore around Chrom's desk and hugged him. "I love you, grandfather."

He patted her back gently. "I love you too, sweetheart. Make sure to say goodbye to your grandma before you leave, okay?"

Morgan simply nodded, then, broke out of the hug and turned toward the exit.

"...Goodbye, grandfather."

Before she left his office, Chrom stopped the girl.

"You know you don't have to do this."

"...This_ is_ something I need to do. For my father. ...So long, grandfather."

"Frederick will accompany you along the way, then. Go pack. And good luck."

After she'd left his office, Chrom grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper.

_If I can't stop her... I can at least tell Flavia to watch out for her..._

"...Be safe, Morgan."

* * *

**I'm a bit nervous about this chapter. For one, it's one of two chapters I've spent the entire fic building up to, the other being the actual reunion. For two, it's drama, and drama is hard to write. But I think it ended up okay!**

**I love Robin x Lucina, I really do.**

**But it's hard to deny that this pairing is going to cause a ****_lot_**** of pain for all involved. Even with the ****_totally inferior_**** Chrom ending, Lucina and Robin are still going to have to deal with the fact that he's the vessel for the being that destroyed her world. Perhaps that's one of the reasons I like it so much. Drama is interesting, after all.**

**The Sacred Stones references are strong in this chapter. For what it's worth, Nidhogg is the closest thing to Lucina's "canon" bow, based on her DLC appearance in Monster Hunter and her Amiibo only appearance in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.. And those of you who've played Sacred Stones should be able to deduce just ****_why_**** Morgan was researching ****_Lyon,_**** of all people. Makes that scene a bit darker, in retrospect.**

**Also, you people have no idea how hard it was for me to not reference a certain other JRPG in the Robin vs. Grima scene. Robin: "They are living beings! If you cannot understand this, you have no right to call yourself a god!" Grima: "And who decides that? A god!? Because ****_only_**** a god may decide!" Robin: "Grima... If you choose to deny the existence of every living being but yourself, then I choose to fight. To fight****_ for_**** them!"**

**Bonus points in my heart if you understood that reference.**

**Also, Morgan refers to Chrom and Sumia as her grandparents pretty freely in this chapter, and neither of them take any issue with it. This contrasts with something I see in a lot of Robin x Lucina fanfics, which is Chrom insisting on not being called "Grandfather." See, I imagine Chrom would take issue with being called "Grandfather" at first, but Sumia, having fallen completely and instantly into the "grandmother" role, would yell at Chrom until he allowed Morgan to call him "Grandfather." And after a bit, he'd fall into the role himself. Because Chrom's a family man at heart.**

**Finally, I just wanna say that I really like Sumia and I feel like she's under appreciated.**

**Review responses!**

**To Dane Namor: ...Well, crap. I dunno how I missed what is, in retrospect, a rather obvious plot hole. The impression I was trying to give was that Tiki was rather close to Robin and Lucina, and _would _have been privy to info like that. But yeah... I suppose I didn't explain that well enough... But I did try to remedy that somewhat in this chapter. Hope that worked out!**

**To Jetstream Girge: Thank you! I'll definitely take those things into account. ****About Tiki, I tried to write her as a bit more playful than she might come off in the game. Specifically, I based her more off of her supports with _Say'ri_ than with Robin. Mainly because I _was_ trying to make her seem close to Robin. Additionally, I feel like she would be more playful/at peace in a world without Grima. I feel like Robin and Tiki would have a sort of special connection, given their associations with opposite gods.**

**(...In fact Tiki x Robin is my second favorite pair for him, behind Lucina...)**

**As always, thank you all so much for reviews, favorites, follows, anything! Yous guys are what keep me writing this! :)**

**Last thing: #TeamNohr.**


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